Always
by QuixoticQuest
Summary: SEQUEL TO FLY AWAY HOME. That day five ships set out for the Land in the Mist, three months later, only four returned. Time heals wounds, but some feelings will continue to live on. "What is lost, is never meant to be found to begin with... " A/H. OCs.
1. Prologue: Autumn's Farewell

_**Prologue**_

_**Autumn's Farewell**_

_A/N- Greetings! Well, I promised a sequel and here is the prologue. The first chapter will be short to follow. _

_I was (and still am) amazed at how many people liked "Fly Away Home" so I decided to follow through with writing the plot bunny that had been in my head for a while since I began writing "Fly Away Home." _

_This prologue will pretty much explain itself, but I'd like to make a few notes before I begin (for those of you who are new to reading my work):_

I write mostly AU type stories (though my pairings are typically canon and I never write slash).

I have a really wacky imagination and when there are gaps to be filled, I will fill them in as I see fit (sometimes this comes across as a little far-fetched, but that's why this is fantasy and not reality).

There will be some new OCs (so I might take down my current poll on my profile at some point so you guys can decide what OC from this story and "Fly Away Home" you like best). At the end of this story I will take the poll down and post the results in the last chapter.

This story (as its predecessor) is subject to a rating change depending on how the content pans out. I am rating it as T for now, but if something drifts over the line, I will change it accordingly.

I am running many multi-chapter stories and writing one-shots at the same time as this fic, so the gaps between the updates might vary. I also have college work, so sometimes there might be a week or two where I can't update for one reason or another.

Any questions, comments or if you just want to talk, please feel free to message me, I don't bite and I receptive to critique (as long as it's balanced and isn't flaming). I haven't had any problems with that so far, but I'm just letting you guys know that I don't really like flaming any more than the next person. Think of it as me handing you ice cream and you telling me you hate that flavor and slapping it to the ground. It's not nice and I wouldn't know what kind of ice cream you like unless you tell me and even then, being respectful and courteous is a virtue.

This story takes place three years after "Fly Away Home."

That said, I doubt I'll run into issues with flaming, but I'm giving you guys a head's up that I don't appreciate flaming at all.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported "Fly Away Home" and I hope you enjoy this sequel. =)

Best,

-Don ^_^

* * *

The leaves had just begun to fall as Berk went into another one of its beautiful Autumn seasons. Among other things that Berk was known for, its Autumn was the most stunning in all the lands. Anyone who lived there wouldn't argue. The golden leaves were as crisp as potatoes on the fryer and the breeze was that nice in between of cold enough to need a jacket and still walk out one's front door and enjoy the scenery.

It was the perfect season to be born in. As an Autumn baby, Hiccup knew better than anyone what it was like to celebrate his birthday when it was beautiful out. He also knew better than anyone how great Autumn was for flying. There was enough wind to make a ride on a dragon blissful and enough warmth to put a hearth to shame.

Except this year he wasn't happy to see the appearance of the leaves, nor was he happy to have gone through another year of his life. Because this year he was of age and he knew that meant he would be leaving.

Autumn was now a somber prelude to Winter.

Hiccup squared his shoulders. He cast a glance back into his lodge. He had been up and staring out the window watching the leaves fall off the trees for a while. It was as though they were tempting him to go out and jump in them and forget his worries for a while. But Hiccup was now the Chief of more than one group of people.

He would honor his promises. With one last look at the leaves, he turned and pull his scarf from the coat rack and threw on his fur coat. By the time the reconstruction of the castle would get underway, it would be Winter already and Hiccup wanted to be prepared. He sighed and threw his scarf loosely around his neck before heading back into the den where he found Astrid dozing off on the couch.

Gently as possible, he lowered himself onto the couch and slipped his fingers into hers. She mumbled and a smile appeared on her face. His fingers stroked her cheek and for a second he let the calm moment wash over him before he found himself staring into Astrid's open blue eyes.

"It's Autumn," She stated quietly.

"I know," Hiccup said as calmly as his voice would allow. Astrid sat up slightly and grasped his hand in hers and placed it over her stomach.

"You'll be back before you even miss being here," Astrid said firmly. Hiccup smiled.

"That's supposed to be my line," Hiccup said with a wry smile.

"Nobody's keeping track," Astrid said with a shrug. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at that. "What?"

"Nothing," He said, shaking his head, "I'm just happy with being here right now."

"That's all the more reason why you have to leave, we can't have you being happy," Astrid said and kissed him on the cheek. "Go. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be."

"What about you?" Hiccup questioned. He knew that Astrid was the strongest woman in Berk and there were few who could match her level of confidence or courage. She was also the fiercest warrior in the village, despite Tuffnut's claims that he was.

"Hiccup," Astrid said exasperatedly, "I think I can manage." A low growl came from the hall and Hiccup turned his head to see Toothless slowly creeping over and lowering his head sadly. He could tell from the scene that something was going on.

"Hey, Bud," Hiccup said, bending over to rub the dragon's neck. "I'm going on a trip. You need to stay here and protect the house for me, okay?" He glanced back to see Astrid's eyes glaring at him. "Er, when she's not looking."

He stood up and grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulders. Astrid noted that in the three years since he'd returned home from his quest to find Toothless' family he'd grown taller and his entire body had become a statement of his complete journey into adulthood. His shoulders were broader, but he still had a skinny frame and the lankiest body she'd ever seen.

"The sooner you come back, the sooner you get to meet your daughter," Astrid said firmly. Hiccup frowned.

"Wait, how do you know it's a girl?"

"Call it a mother's intuition," Astrid stated wistfully. Hiccup decided he didn't want to go into asking her what that meant, so he leaned in to kiss her on the lips instead.

"I will be home soon then," Hiccup said and grinned his toothy grin and with one last glance back, he walked out the door.

* * *

That afternoon five of Berk's ships sailed for the Castle. Three months later, only four returned, with black sails flying.

**A/N- Don't worry, this is far from being over and this whole sequence will be expanded on in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! =) **


	2. Lingering Snow

**Chapter 1**

**Lingering Snow**

_A/N- Woo! I got an itch for this next chapter and the ideas for it have been in my head all day. So I thought I'd just post it as soon as I could. I hope you guys enjoyed the prologue (it was short, I know, but the real story will begin to reveal itself in this chapter). _

_Well, since there's not much else to say, I'll cut right to the chase… Oh, wait! I am excited because I was nominated for author of the month on FFN's page on Facebook: number 11! So I'm in a super good mood (despite the fact that I have a paper due on Friday that's driving me nuts). _

_Anyhoozles, on to the first chapter! _

_-Don Bon-Bon Napoleon (this was a favorite candy of my brother from when we lived in Europe). ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Astrid stood on the dock, her knees drawn up to her chin. No matter how long she sat there. She knew that the ships that had returned home were the only ones that would ever come back.

It was Winter now. She couldn't wait for the leaves to return to the trees. With a sigh, she stood up, casting a longing look out at the water and its calm glass-like appearance. No more would it reflect what Astrid wanted to see.

Astrid forced herself to look up in the direction of her lodge. It was warm there. Maybe over the years she really would forget why she hurt so badly now, just as Korenth said she would.

Maybe.

* * *

**-15 Years Later-**

"Autumn!" Astrid let out an elongated sigh. "Thor, where has that girl gone off to now?" She rounded the corner and ran smack into Snotlout.

"Astrid?" He noted the panicked look in her blue eyes and gestured to the forest, "I saw Autumn go into the forest."

"Again?" Astrid groaned, "I told her to stay away from there."

"You think she's going to listen?" Snotlout asked, smirking. "You never did."

Astrid scowled deeply. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you." Snotlout shrugged and continued walking. Over the years, he had grown out of most of his womanizing and aggressive habits and replaced them with a pushy sense of humor that Astrid didn't mind quite as much.

She attributed it to the fact that 'Lout had given up on trying to get her to love him back a long time ago. She was surprised it had taken him so long to realize that only one person would ever hold her heart. Astrid knew it was Snotlout finding his wife among the villagers in the Land of the Mist that really turned his eyes away from Astrid. But despite that, he still had a brotherly love for Astrid that never seemed to fade. Overall Astrid was grateful for that.

"Well, if you want my opinion," Snotlout continued.

"I don't, but you're going to tell me anyways," Astrid pointed out. Snotlout smiled.

"True, I won't argue with that," He shifted, "If you want my opinion, I'd say let Autumn go where she feels like going. It's just the forest and you shouldn't be worried." 'Lout glanced over his shoulder as the lanky form of a girl appeared at the edge of the forest with a black dragon in tow, "Toothless never leaves her side." Snotlout then took his leave, seeing that the mother and daughter were probably going to have another long debate about what Autumn was and wasn't allowed to do.

"Autumn Horrendous Haddock, where have you been?" Astrid demanded. She looked her daughter up and down. The girl was skinny and had the brightest green eyes in the entire village. Her hair was a mixture of blonde with russet brown. She had inherited Astrid's famous scowl but no matter what Astrid said or did, Toothless was more attached to Autumn than to Astrid.

"Out in the forest, where else?" Autumn stated, setting down her basket of fish on the ground, allowing Toothless to sniff it with interest.

"Autumn, when are you going to listen to me?" Astrid asked. "The forest is-"

"Dangerous? Scary? Intimidating? Frankly, I find Grandpa Stoick's ghost stories to be more thrilling," Astrid had to smile and laugh at that. Stoick may have been a great Chief, but he didn't really know how to tell stories, even ghost stories.

"It's not about whether or not you can sense the danger, Autumn," Astrid stated. "You never know what's out there."

"Yeah, well, seeing as I never get to leave the village, let alone the house, that's not all that surprising."

"You're too young, that's why," Astrid replied. Autumn frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, for summing that up, Mom," Autumn then picked up the basket and stomped up the hill to their lodge and slammed the door behind her. Astrid winced, and not just because of the fight. They were always at each other's throats when it came to Autumn's freedom. The girl was fifteen, a strong enough warrior to hold her own and no one doubted that Autumn was the best dragon trainee in the village, but Astrid was still reluctant to acknowledge the fact. What had stung Astrid was what Autumn had said. She had sounded so much like… Astrid shook her head.

"Another fight?" Astrid sighed, turning around, expecting to see Snotlout, but found herself face to face with Fishlegs. Of all the trainees that Astrid had grown up fighting alongside, she trusted Fishlegs more than all of them. He stepped forward and shifted his load of firewood as he looked up at the lodge. "She really is a lot like Hiccup."

Astrid grimaced, "Don't say that." She looked down at the ground and gritted her teeth as the cold managed to slip through her coat sleeve.

"Why not?" Fishlegs asked with a bright smile, "You should be proud, Astrid. She's done so well in dragon training and with her wit she'll be fit to be the next Chief in no time."

"Don't say that!" Astrid bit. She sighed, "I'm sorry, Fish." He smiled gently and moved all the wood to one arm so he could place his other on Astrid's shoulder.

"I know you miss him," He let out a sigh, which materialized into mist on the cold air. "But I feel like he's only as far away as you imagine him to be."

"He said he'd be back," Astrid said quietly, "That was fifteen years ago. I don't know what to believe in anymore."

Fishlegs shrugged, "You've always been the most driven out of all of us, Astrid. You tell me," He looked at the lodge wistfully and then started back down the road. Astrid looked up at the lodge as the back door banged open and Autumn's lanky form ran across the snow toward the other side of the village. Astrid sighed and continued up the hill to the lodge.

Moments after she sat down on the couch, she heard a booming knock on the door. She smiled. There was only one person in the village who had a metal hand.

"Gobber," Astrid said, smiling as the older Viking clunked into the front hall.

"Have you seen my apprentice?" Gobber asked, "She wasn't in the shop today."

"She just ran out the door," Astrid said, jerking her head toward the back entrance to the lodge. Gobber looked over at the door and then back at Astrid.

"Well, y'know what I'd say about that," Gobber replied, "I said the same thing to Stoick about Hiccup. Ye can't stop her, Astrid, you can only prepare her."

Astrid shook her head, "I'm beginning to wonder if it's just me that needs preparing." Gobber laughed heartily.

"Aye, we all need a bit of that every now and again," He nodded and began to head back out the door, "Just don't forget that she's Hiccup's daughter too." With that the blacksmith was gone. Astrid found herself staring out the window. It was still Winter, but maybe she was the one stuck in its cold clutches.

* * *

The only place that Autumn really felt at home, besides the forest, was the home of the strangest member of the group of trainees. He was definitely a bit eccentric at times, but was a good listener. Lloyd "Red" Ingerman was every bit as stubborn and argumentative as his mother and as quiet and wise as his father. After years of trying to figure out why his name didn't quite fit her image of her friend, Autumn nicknamed Lloyd "Red" because of how red his nose would get in the Winter. He was taller than Autumn and bigger, but he had inherited Ruffnut's thinner build and had the wild hair of Fishlegs.

Autumn sighed, "Then she tells me that the forest is dangerous."

"Well," Lloyd said, "She does have a point. The forest isn't always safe."

"Come on, Red," Autumn said. "What reason does she have to tell me not to go in there, really?" She grunted, "I've heard the story a million times about how dad went off with the other Vikings and how his was the only one that didn't survive the storm they got caught in," She scowled, "I don't care if he used to go into the forest. He's dead and people should learn to let go."

Lloyd looked uncomfortable as he said quietly, "But he was still your father."

Autumn waved her hand, "A person I never met. He's practically a myth, I don't even know if he really exists outside of all the stories I hear."

Lloyd turned a little red as he said, "Well, he had to have existed if you're here."

"What do you… oh," Autumn also reddened slightly. For a few minutes they sat in relative silence, neither one sure of what to say after his comment. Finally Lloyd broke the silence, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"What do I plan to do?" Autumn repeated. "What do you mean?"

"You usually have a plan," He pointed out. Autumn thought about it. This was true enough. Whenever they had to go into the training ring for practice, Autumn was typically the first one to come up with a plan for every situation.

"I'm not sure," Autumn said and then rested her head on her palm as she mulled it over.

"You could try to go find your dad," Lloyd said. Autumn lifted her head.

"What?"

"Find him, Autumn," Lloyd said, "You can go look for your dad."

"I know what you meant. But my dad's dead, Red," Autumn pointed out. "I can't go on a quest to find something that doesn't exist." He shrugged.

"That never stopped you," Lloyd raised an eyebrow at her and she frowned as she thought it over again. He was right about the fact that she never gave up on finding things, even if everyone else was sure they couldn't be found, but this was an impossible mission. Even Autumn believed that her father was dead and that his ship was probably at the bottom of the water somewhere. "Autumn?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," She said irritably. Lloyd sat back patiently. He knew better than anyone when Autumn said she was thinking she really was. Finally she stood up and started for the door.

"Autumn?" Lloyd questioned. She took her coat from the rack and pulled it on sleeve by sleeve. She then turned, "Well, are you coming?" Lloyd grinned, put on his own jacket and then followed her out.

The hardest part of commandeering a ship wasn't the actual commandeering, it was convincing others that it was a good idea.

"You really shouldn't be doing that," Tug said as he stood on the dock, watching Autumn and Lloyd pull the anchor from the water.

"Oh, yeah, maybe if you're so tough, you should help!" Rug, Tug's twin sister, retorted. They were the energetic and argumentative younger siblings of Lloyd. Tuggart and Ruggins were three years Lloyd's junior and were constantly trying to follow their older brother around. Lloyd's temper snapped as he turned on the twins, slamming the rope of the anchor down on the side of the boat.

"Look, this is one trip you two aren't allowed to go on," Lloyd stated. "Now go home."

Tug shook his head, "No way, you promised mom you'd take us flying."

Lloyd briefly considered whether or not he should simply pick his siblings up and carry them back to the lodge. But they had an annoying habit of following Lloyd no matter how many times he tried to ditch them.

"Yeah!" Rug agreed. The only time Rug ever agreed with her brother was when they were trying their hardest to annoy Lloyd or so he theorized. Autumn stepped forward, leaning on the side of the ship as she regarded the twins.

"You know, the best way to get Lloyd to go flying is to go get the dragons," She said. Lloyd looked sidelong at her, amazed and somewhat disturbed by her uncanny ability to convince anyone to do anything. She could be manipulative when she wanted to be.

"Really?" Tug said dubiously. "We're not gullible, you know."

"I'm not, you are," Rug said. Tug punched his sister in the arm. Lloyd sighed. It was impossible to get two twelve year olds to do anything.

"This trip isn't for you guys," Autumn said, "It won't be much fun and you're better off staying and taking rides on Did and Diddin." Did and Diddin was the Zippleback that the twins had subsequently named because they constantly argued "Did" and "Didn't" when they first brought the dragon home. Eventually the name stuck and Lloyd was glad his dragon, a Nightmare, had a normal name.

_Thump. _Autumn and Lloyd turned as his dragon landed on the ship. He should have expected Waves to find him since all dragons on Berk could sense where their riders were initially. Waves also had a strange attachment to the water despite his nature to set himself on fire. Something about the whole thing seemed fitting for the dragon though.

"We're coming!" Tug and Rug finally decided and both walked across the boarding plank and planted themselves near the mast. Lloyd sighed. He was going to get in so much trouble for sneaking off as it was, not to mention for letting his younger siblings come along.

"Fine," Lloyd said and as he was about to pull the boarding plank onto the ship, something heavy pressed it back down. He slowly raised his head to look up to see the bulky form of Gutlout, Snotlout's son. He towered a foot or two above Lloyd and Autumn with messy dark brown hair and a small beard forming on his face.

"You won't get far without these," Gutlout hurled several supply packs onto the ship along with a bundle of assorted weapons. He then stepped onto the ship and picked up the plank and tossed it into the ship like a stick. Without a glance at any of the other Vikings he pulled the anchor effortlessly onto the boat. Lloyd could only look on in amazement at the bigger boy's strength as well as his trust in his companions' plan.

"Lloyd, you should probably steer," Autumn said, breaking her friend's reverie.

"Right," He agreed and then went to the wheel. Autumn looked out at the water as it shimmered in the daylight. It was time to find out just who her father was, if he was still alive.

**A/N- Up next: Astrid's reaction. Uh-oh. Ha, ha. Thanks for reading! =) **

**Thanks to the following people for favoriting/alerting and/or reviewing this story:**

**Olympian23**

**Arlothia**

**Toothless-the-nightfury**


	3. Remembering

**Chapter 2**

**Remembering**

_A/N- Gah! This stupid story has been on my mind all week long and I keep wanting update it, but I've had so many projects and papers up the wazooo! I am also skipping out on taking a nap (which I probably need since I've been staying up until 3 am for the past few days to work on my paper that's due tomorrow morning) to write this chapter, so just this once (even if you're not the type to review) just write something in a review to let me know you're enjoying this at the very least. =) Uber appreciated! (Yes, I know that's not proper grammar). _

_Anyways, enough of my griping. I hope ya'll enjoyed the last chapter (for some reason I like saying ya'll better than you-all, it's easier or something like that). _

_I've also had "Hey Soul Sister" stuck in my head for a while, so I blame Train for being so damn catchy. _

_Well, I guess that covers everything random that I have to talk about so I'll move on to talking about this story and HTTYD fun stuff. _

_October 15__th__ is fast approaching, are we ready? Are we ready? (By the way, if you don't answer "Yes!" in a review, you're not as psyched as you should be about the movie release). I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready! _

_I might not get to those drawings of my HTTYD OCs and other characters on my DA until my college's long weekend (which is from the 14__th__ to the 18__th__ and I'll be home so I'll have access to my copic markers, yeah!). I'm thinking of painting a picture of Astrid, Hiccup and Autumn at some point. Either way, I'll be posting in my A/Ns when I have character art up on my DA. Cool? =) _

_Also, if you guys haven't already noticed this, I usually have flashbacks in italics (because I haven't found out the best way to write a flashback in besides making a separate section in a chapter for it). So I'm just making sure you guys already know that (which you probably do). _

_Any questions, comments, or random rambles about how awesome HTTYD is can be directed to my inbox on FFN. =P_

_Hang on to your seats, Friends, because here comes the next chapter! _

_-Don ^_^ (Hereby gets award for longest A/N ever). _

_

* * *

_

"_Stay on course, we'll be there soon," Hiccup turned his head and leaned against the railing of the ship, letting the salty air wash over his face. "How am I doing?"_

_Fishlegs smiled, "Not bad for a first voyage as Chief, Captain." _

_Hiccup made a dubious "psht," and waved Fishlegs. "I'm not even sure where you get the idea that I'm even remotely ready to be a Chief." Fishlegs shrugged. _

"_Everyone says so," He glanced back at the crew. "They're always saying how you'll make the best Chief in years. I think so too."_

"_I think you're nuts," Hiccup replied with an eye roll. _

"_Not nearly as nuts as you," Fishlegs said with a toothy grin. Hiccup frowned in confusion._

"_Come on, I see the way you're looking out at the water, you're lovesick," Fishlegs leaned on the railing next to Hiccup and looked down at his hands as he gripped the railing. "I… I know what it's like to miss someone."_

_Hiccup watched his friend for a second before he said quietly, "I'm sorry that I made you come along."_

_Fishlegs shook his head, "You didn't. I wanted to. Tuff and Snotlout had to go hunting and Ruff was forced to help the new trainees the day we left. Someone had to go with you."_

_Hiccup couldn't help but smile at Fishleg's sincerity, "You know, if anyone should be Chief, it's you."_

"_M-me?" Fishlegs shook his head as his usual stammer returned, "N-no way, I couldn't do that."_

"_Yes you could, you're every bit as capable as I am," Hiccup said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. _

"_Yeah, but you're the Chief's son, I'm not," Fishlegs pointed out. Hiccup couldn't argue with that and on Berk blood was everything. If you were related to someone in a position of power, you were probably going to inherit that position. Hiccup hadn't even thought he'd inherit the position, but now it seemed inevitable._

"_Hey, Fish," Hiccup said tentatively as he cast a look over his shoulder and then back at the water in front of him. Fishlegs looked over at Hiccup, reading the troubled expression on the smaller boy's face. "Will you do me a favor?"_

"_What?" Fishlegs asked, not comprehending Hiccup's sudden change of tone. _

"_Change ships." _

_Fishlegs stared at Hiccup in miscomprehension. "Hiccup, why-?" _

"_Just do it," Hiccup said and for the first time, his voice was firm. "Pull the ship alongside the Thorn, get everyone off the Nightwalk and steer as far South as you can." _

"_Hiccup, what's going on?" Fishlegs questioned as he followed his friend down the deck and then was surprised when Hiccup whirled around, his eyes angry and determined. _

"_That's an order, Fishlegs," Hiccup stated sternly and then turned on his heel and for a moment, Fishlegs saw Hiccup standing taller than anyone on the ship, he was a god among men as he walked with the confidence of a leader. Fishlegs turned and began to command the ship to pull alongside the other ship, Thorn, to relay Hiccup's orders. Fishlegs knew that Hiccup must have a good reason for wanting everyone to get off the Nightwalk, after all, the ship was a gift from Hiccup's father as a wedding present. _

"_Quickly, get everyone onto the Thorn!" Fishlegs barked and Hiccup began to throw out planks across the ships and lashed the two ships together with rope and one by one the Vikings crossed the small path between the ships. Fishlegs crossed over himself and then turned to look around as he finally saw it: The hurricane that was fast approaching. Hiccup looked around as the rain began to beat down on his ship. Hiccup pulled out his knife and in a swift stroke, severed each rope one by one. _

"_Hiccup, what are you doing?" Fishlegs demanded. Hiccup met his friend's eyes and then kicked the side of the ship so that the planks dropped just as the first wave crashed down on the Nightwalk, smashing it in half. Then the next wave came down just inches away from the Thorn's side. If they had lingered a moment more, they would have been hit by the wave._

_Fishlegs squinted through the rain, unable to see what had become of the Nightwalk. He blinked as he spotted an object floating among the splinters of the ship. He dipped his oar into the water and pulled out a familiar green vest._

"_Hiccup," Fishlegs uttered quietly and then cast a panicked look around the area, but with the storm picking up, he couldn't see anything. "Hiccup!" _

"_Sir, we need to go!" One of the other Vikings yelled. Fishlegs strained his eyes, reluctant to abandon hope of seeing his friend. But they were running out of time before the Hurricane would turn their remaining ships to splinters._

_Fishlegs winced as everything became clear: Hiccup must have known the hurricane was coming, that's why he had everyone move. He had been standing by the railing and staring out at the water for a while before he asked Fishlegs to move. But why hadn't he said anything before? Why did have to be the one who remained behind? _

_There were now a hundred questions in Fishlegs' mind that he would never have answered because Hiccup was gone. But Fishlegs had to take command as the first mate. _

"_Head South," Fishlegs said, trying hard not to let his voice crack. "That's an order." The Viking nodded and ran off to relay the orders. Fishlegs watched as they put the storm behind them and sailed back toward Berk._

_Fishlegs felt himself shudder inside as the Thorn pulled into Berk's port. As soon as he touched down on the dock, he received inquiring and sobered expressions. They must have seen the black sails from a distance. Fishlegs wondered what people thought had happened. _

"_Fish!" A familiar blonde shoved her way through the crowd and nearly tackled Fishlegs in a hug. "Thor, I thought… when I saw the black sails…" Ruffnut said and then backed up enough that she could look into Fishleg's eyes and see the hurt in them. It took Ruffnut a moment to comprehend his silence before, "Who…? No."_

_Fishlegs nodded silently, not wanting to look at anyone right now. "No!" Ruffnut yelled as if her words would keep the truth away, but Fishlegs still remained quietly saddened to the point of looking like he wanted to melt into the ground. The weight on his shoulders seemed heavier than usual and as he started away, Ruffnut could see that he was sagging._

"_I've got to go talk to Astrid," Fishlegs said, pushing Ruffnut aside gently and then continued to the Haddock lodge._

_He knocked, only to find Astrid at the door with a bright look in her eyes, "I heard the ships came back, but you know," She gestured to her stomach, which was growing rounder by the day, "Would you like some tea?" _

_Fishlegs nodded, "Please," He cast a look around the lodge. Even the air of the Haddock home always smelled like the fires of the blacksmith shop that Hiccup worked in and of dragons, which wasn't all that surprising since Toothless lived there and Hiccup was usually the one who doctored the dragons when they were injured as he knew the most about them. _

_But now the lodge seemed to have a lighter and colder air that didn't smell like anything. Astrid placed a cup of tea on the table and gestured for Fishlegs to sit down on the couch. He thanked her and slowly sat down. She looked at him silently and poured the tea._

"_Something happened, didn't it?" Fishlegs flinched and grimaced at her words. They were sober and almost calm. Two things that Fishlegs knew Astrid to be already, but he still didn't believe that's how she really felt now. "I saw the sails from the window."_

_It was then that Fishlegs lost it and tears streamed down his face, "I'm sorry, Astrid, I am so sorry. I couldn't stop him, he-he just took things into his own hands and then…" A sob drowned out the rest of his sentence and Astrid's face slowly formed into a look of comprehension. _

_Hiccup was dead. Those black sails were for him. Fishlegs wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood up, handing Astrid the folded green vest he'd found in the water. _

"_This is all I could find," Fishlegs said and let out a ragged sigh. "I'm sorry, Astrid. I failed Hiccup as a friend." Astrid, still in shock, didn't say anything and Fishlegs slowly walked down the hall and closed the door firmly behind him. _

_After a few minute of holding the vest, feelings the fabric underneath her fingers and smelling some of the lingering scents that went along with all of Hiccup's clothing: the fires of the forge, dragons, air from the clouds he flew in and most of all, that almost cinnamon smell that she had come to know as purely Hiccup. She wasn't sure why he smelled that way, but it probably had to do with the fact that he was always among the trees in the forest, looking for herbs and he had come back one day with an armful of cinnamon. _

_It was such a Hiccup thing to do. Astrid gritted her teeth and pushed back the tears. She wouldn't let them come, she couldn't. Part of her wanted to call Fishlegs back and tell him off for being a liar. But his expression and tone told her that he was telling the truth._

_Fishlegs wasn't the type to lie, especially about something as serious as someone dying. She remembered how torn up he was about his grandmother dying about a year ago and that was enough to tell her that Fishlegs took death harder than anyone. _

_No one was replaceable. _

"_Hiccup," Astrid buried her face in his vest and finally the tears came loose._

_

* * *

_

Autumn shifted so the fur on her green vest glinted with shadows of light and dark in the sunlight. She had spent most of the morning looking out at the water and letting the cool breeze sooth the unease that had been building since they reached the open water.

"We're off," Lloyd said quietly from behind her.

"Yeah," Autumn said, rubbing her arms. He watched this for a second and then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be okay," Lloyd said calmly, "You, me, and the others. We're all Vikings." She looked at him skeptically. She normally wasn't a pessimist, but the more she thought about this quest, the more she doubted if anything good would come of it.

"I wonder how mom's doing," Autumn said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"She's tough, just like you, so again, I wouldn't worry," Lloyd said. Autumn shifted.

"Does anything ever scare you, Red?" Autumn asked, frowning at him. He sighed and looked uncomfortable for a second.

"One thing does," He said.

"What?" Autumn asked. He shook his head.

"I'll tell you some other time," He replied and then turned to walk back down to the stern. _What was that about? _Autumn thought and then returned her attention to the water. It still bothered her to look at it for some reason. She couldn't really say why.

* * *

"She what?" Astrid demanded. Fishlegs bit his lip. Telling Astrid that her only daughter was off on some wild seafaring adventure was not something he relished doing, anymore than he wanted to tell Astrid what had happened to Hiccup.

"I'm sure she's fine, she's your kid," Snotlout said calmly. Astrid glared at him. "What? I'm just saying."

"You shut up," She rounded on Fishlegs, "Shouldn't you be more worried? Your kids are out there too."

Fishlegs frowned, "I am worried. But I also know that Lloyd is almost a man. He's old enough to know what he's doing."

"What about Rug and Tug, they're only children," Astrid countered. Fishlegs sighed.

"I'm going to have to hope to Thor that they don't do anything stupid," Fishlegs said.

"I'm beginning to question your parenting abilities," Astrid said dryly as she raised an eyebrow. Fishlegs sighed.

"All I'm saying is that you can relax, they can't have gotten very far and worst comes to worst, we'll just send someone after them," Fishlegs then almost had to hit himself in the face for saying that for Astrid's eyes lit up with agreement.

"That's it! We'll go after them, you, me, and Ruffnut," Astrid stated. Fishlegs looked uncomfortable.

"Um, Astrid, are you sure that's a good idea?" Snotlout said and that got Astrid's attention. Rarely anything made Snotlout sound that uncomfortable and that was two uncomfortable people among her closest friends.

"What?" Astrid asked, looking from one to the other.

"Well," Fishlegs said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I kind of promised Ruff that I'd stay home this winter."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Fishlegs turned a little red, "Well, we're planning to have another child."

Astrid had to ogle at Fishlegs at that, "Another child? Odin, Fish, how many kids are you going to have?"

Fishlegs shook his head, "Just this one. Ruffnut and I both think that four is a nice number."

"Well, if you can't come, then that's that," Astrid said and started out the door to the dining hall.

"But if there's a chance that Hiccup's alive, then I think both of us want to go with you," Fishlegs said with a nod. Snotlout slammed his tankard on the table.

"Well, if the rest of the gang's going, so am I," Snotlout said and stood up. "I'll go pack." After the door closed behind Snotlout, Astrid turned to smile gratefully at Fishlegs.

"You didn't have to come with me," She said.

"Of course I did. I can't let what happened to Hiccup happen to you or Autumn. That wouldn't be right. Plus, my kids are out there too. I… I guess I have to be a disciplinarian sometime."

Astrid laughed, "Somehow I can't see you ever being a scolding parent. You're more like an overly doting father," She paused and then looked toward the door. "I just hope Autumn's okay."

Fishlegs followed her gaze, "So do I."

* * *

Lloyd didn't like being on a boat that much. He was one of the odd Vikings who actually got seasick even when the boat wasn't moving. Just being on a boat would cause acid to rise in his throat.

Now was no exception as the ship rocked back and forth to the heartbeat of the water. It pulsed, rising and falling as it pushed the ship along. Who was on the lookout? The ship suddenly gave a violent jerk and rocked so far to the side that some water sloshed onto the deck. Some of the water hit Lloyd in the face and his eyes shot open to see that not only was no one steering the ship, but the waves were becoming steadily more violent.

He stood up and rushed to the wheel and took hold of it and began navigating around the waves that were now crashing up against the sides of the ship. It was now painfully clear that a storm was brewing. Lloyd could feel the air getting colder, a sure sign that the wind would pick up soon. He decided now was the best time to wake up his companions so they could find the best way to handle the situation. It was no good to be sleeping when you were caught in a storm. He reached out and pulled on the small rope hanging from a beam above the steering wheel. After the Nightwalk sunk, Astrid had appealed to have bells built into the ships to warn the other crew members of approaching storms. Lloyd found that he was glad that Astrid was as uptight about ships and seafaring now as she was. He yanked hard a few times on the bell and it clanged loudly throughout the ship.

Immediately Autumn was up and rousing the other trainees. Gutlout had woken himself up and was regarding the water with a deep scowl. "That's no ordinary storm."

Autumn frowned as she followed his gaze, finally seeing the rolling gray clouds and then heard the thunder clap shake the skies. It was as if the storm had issued its ultimatum to those sailing and wasn't going to let up. Then the rain came down. Autumn cast a wary glance over at Lloyd as he attempted to steer the ship away from the occasional rock formations in the water.

"The ship's leaking," Rug said. The others turned abruptly to look at the young girl. They followed her finger to the small crack that had appeared on the side of the ship and where water was starting to find its way in. Waves let out a low growl. Autumn suddenly wished she had brought Toothless. Waves could lift them off the ship, but not everyone would fit on the dragon.

"Incoming!" Lloyd grabbed his siblings and sheltered them with his body as a wave crashed down onto the ship. Autumn was knocked onto the deck and Gutlout tumbled off to the side as the ship teetered almost half way into the water. It rocked itself upright again, but the water was now up to their feet. Waves levitated himself above the ship, growling at the storm.

"Any ideas?" Lloyd asked, turning to Autumn. But before she could respond, two waves hit the bow of the ship, pulling into a vertical position. Lloyd grabbed the steering wheel and held on tightly to his siblings. Autumn started to slide over to the railing as Gutlout, who was holding on to the railing, reached out to her. The ship groaned again and Autumn's eyes met with Lloyd's right before ship creaked and tipped straight up.

"Autumn, no!" The words were barely out of his mouth before she slid down the deck and into the raging waters.

* * *

**A/N- So, you guys probably have somewhat of an idea where I'm going with this. But don't count your eggs before they hatch. ;) See you at the next one!**

**Thanks to the following people for supporting this story:**

**Kt2209**

**Skylark Meadow**

**Future Aviator **


	4. Letting Go

Chapter 3

Letting Go

_A/N- I got inspired for this chapter by the song "Always" by the Japanese band D-51 (just listening to the sound makes me want to cry). I've included a loose translation I found (I would translate the lyrics myself, but a) I left my CD-with the lyrics-at home and b) My Japanese isn't good enough for me to translate that cleanly. At some point I hope it will be. But for now what I've got will have to do._

_Enjoy the chapter and the next time I update will probably be in honor of the release of the movie! =) _

The sun dissolves, red in the sky; both people and the city are colored by it  
The shaking wind, as though waving it's hand and saying "see you tomorrow"  
Brings with it the smell of dinner, the face that comes to mind  
Is that of the person whose gentle voice I can hear on the other end of the phone  
I'm still the same inside of my heart now as I was when I was a kid

Love is unchanging, all the time  
It's always there in your heart  
Love is unending, we will  
Definitely succeed

Kindness goes from person to person, it reaches me too  
It's a wonderful power that turns a crying face into a smiling one  
In a deep place in my heart  
Is something warm that's connected

My love is unceasing, no matter where I am  
It will continue on forever  
My love is unending, I want to softly  
Share it with someone

The setting evening sun takes us into tomorrow  
It will certainly return to this place though

Love is unchanging, all the time  
It's always there in your heart  
Love is unending, we will  
Definitely succeed

My love is unceasing, no matter where I am  
It will continue on forever  
I always feel your love  
Softly, it shined red on my heart

-Lyrics and music by D-51 (I do not own them). Translation from Mognet Japanese Translation Group's Website (I do not own this either).

Thanks for reading!

-Don ^_^

* * *

Lloyd couldn't believe his eyes. He'd just held on to the steering wheel and hopelessly watched while his friend slid down the deck and hit the railing at the end of the stern before falling into the water. The ripples spread before her head disappeared under the waves. He wanted to scream, but he doubted the gods could hear him over the storm. He wanted to yell at himself for suggesting that they embark on this journey. He couldn't let go of his siblings and he couldn't let go of the steering wheel for feel of falling into the water himself.

He was stuck. For once in his life he wasn't able to do anything but watch as the sea swallowed up Autumn. He gritted his teeth and gripped the steering wheel tighter until his knuckles turned white. Then he remembered that Waves was still there. He turned his head and nodded to his dragon, hoping that he would get the idea.

Waves lowered himself underneath the dangling legs of Rug and Tug. Lloyd slowly lowered his siblings onto Waves' back and then climbed on himself. "Fly down, we need to get Gutlout," Lloyd yelled. Waves growled and flapped his way down to where Gutlout still had a death grip on the railing. The larger Viking let go and dropped onto Waves' back. The wind took that moment to push them away from the ship as it crashed down, splintering into pieces. The next few waves finished up the job of demolishing the wood and then sent them floating in all directions.

Lloyd looked around, guiding Waves in a hover above the water. He saw Gutlout looking as well, but the larger Viking looked at Lloyd with a shake of his head. Autumn was nowhere to be found. Lloyd didn't want to give up, but Waves couldn't hold out against this storm and it would risk endangering the lives of the other Vikings. Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut and turned his eyes forward.

"Go," He whispered to Waves. The dragon obliged and Lloyd could only avert his head in shame as they flew away.

* * *

Astrid found the rocking of the ship as it glided across the water to be somewhat soothing. After all, she'd begun to associate it with Hiccup and his journeys to and from the Land of the Mist. She missed him terribly when he was away, and she found that when he came back, it made her realize just how nice it was to have him there. It was that strange feeling that allowed her not to take Hiccup for granted. But now she had a bad feeling that maybe she had grown too comfortable in her easy and relatively peaceful life with Hiccup.

After all, he'd given her everything she'd ever wanted in a husband: someone loving, someone passionate about everything he did, someone who was compassionate about those around him, and someone with a strong will and head on his shoulders. Hiccup wasn't much for physical strength, but what he lacked in physicality, he made up for in sheer wits and brains. He was sharper than the majority of the Vikings on Berk and he proved time and time again that he wasn't weak hearted in any way, shape, or form.

Maybe Astrid had taken it for granted that he'd always be there. Simply because Hiccup never seemed to falter in his smile and never gave Astrid any reason to doubt his abilities, let alone think there was any reason for her to worry, that she'd begun to believe that he wouldn't die so easily.

_I don't know why I let my guard down, I should have made Toothless go with Hiccup, _Astrid thought to herself. She sighed and leaned her head against the railing. Its surface was cold and soothed the aching in her head. She hadn't slept much on the ship and as a result was feeling quite seasick, which was rare.

"Here, eat this," She felt something pressed into her hand and looked over her shoulder blearily. She barely registered that Fishlegs was standing behind her, let alone that he was offering her food. "It'll settle your stomach."

"It's just bread…" Astrid swallowed the acid.

"It's solid and that's what helps settle upset stomachs," Fishlegs insisted and waited while Astrid tore off a piece of the bread and force it into her mouth. At first she wanted to throw it up along with the rest of her breakfast, but then it settled and she moaned in relief.

"I needed that," Astrid said. Fishlegs nodded and leaned against the railing next to her.

"I was talking like this with Hiccup right before he died," Fishlegs said, not taking his eyes off the water. Astrid turned her head to look at him. He bit his lip. Fishlegs hadn't talked too much about Hiccup since his death and the most Fishlegs would say is that Hiccup's death was Fishleg's fault and that he'd never let anyone down like that ever again. "He was looking out at the water like he wanted to jump in and swim back to Berk." Fishlegs smiled at Astrid, "He really loved you, Astrid. I'm sorry that he died before he could let you know how much."

Astrid shook her head, "I always knew. He was an open book to me and he would tell me all the time how happy he was to be with me. Part of me always knew that he felt inferior at times in the past, but over time he grew to be a confident person that I could rely on and that he could rely on himself to continue to be. I never doubted who he was or who he'd become. I wouldn't give up what we did have for anything."

"Except that you did want more time with him," Fishlegs said quietly. Astrid shrugged.

"We'll always want something we can't get, Fish. It's our nature. I think it's more that I realized how little I actually got to talk to him now that he's gone," Astrid tore off another piece of bread and swallowed it slowly. "It seems like time has sped up and then slowed down so I can see how much time has passed, but how much more I have left to live through."

"You make it sound like it's horrible to be alive," Fishlegs said, watching Astrid as she leaned once more on the railing, resting her chin on her arms.

"Sometimes I feel like it is," Astrid replied plainly, "To go through each day and wonder what it is that hurts so much and then," She breathed out her words through a sigh, "You remember," She lowered her gaze to the deck. "You remember then that there will always be that feeling in the back of your mind that there's something missing. Something you can't ever recover."

Fishlegs shifted so he was facing Astrid completely, "Hiccup might be gone, Astrid, but you still have Autumn. She's a great girl who wants nothing more than to be an upstanding Viking like you. She just needs you to tell her it's okay."

Astrid watched as the moonlight glittered across the water and then looked back at Fishlegs, "I've been okay with that for a long time. I just don't want to lose her like I did Hiccup. I have to protect her."

Fishlegs nodded, "Sometimes protecting means letting go and hoping things turn out okay." He turned and started back across the deck, paused and then added, "Trust her, like you trusted Hiccup on your first flight." Then Fishlegs continued to his sleeping roll, leaving Astrid to mull over his words.

She remembered clearly enough the day that she had first gotten to know the real Hiccup. She'd seen in a flight on a dragon that Hiccup was more than a screw-up, he was a brilliant and compassionate boy with a heart the size of the world.

"_I am not listening to anything you have to say!"_

"_Then let me show you, please, Astrid." _

Astrid took a deep breath. "I'm trusting you, Autumn. I just hope everyone's wrong about you being like Hiccup." _Or disaster will follow her wherever she goes. _Then again, Astrid had to admit, it was a "disaster" that had brought her to where she was today.

"When did things get to be so confusing?" She asked the sky, but it offered no answer.

* * *

Lungs: she never knew how great it felt to breathe the clear air until it was sparse. Hands flailed, gripping at nothing but the bubbles escaping from her mouth slower and slower until she felt her body go limp. It was weighted and pulled her down by her bones and flesh.

Then with a burning sensation, her vision went blurry and she felt herself falling. Something dug into her sides, penetrated her skin and pulled her up. Her mind screamed to be let go, but whatever had a hold of her wouldn't. Slowly she felt the water hitting the top of her head as she went up.

As air entered her lungs once more she passed out.

* * *

**A/N- Thanks for reading! I am planning to do a one-shot in honor of the release of the film, so the next update will probably be after Friday. =) **

**Thanks to the following users for their support:**

**Ark D**

**Spottedfang**

**Kt2209**

**Star**


	5. Into the Mist

**Chapter 4**

**Into the Mist**

_A/N- Sorry this took a little longer to post. I ended up having a busy weekend (although I think all I did was eat). I went home to my house in the city and tomorrow I am flying back to Vermont. I am psyched about the movie's release (but bummed because I accidentally had the shipping location set to my house here in the city when I'm heading back to VT tomorrow, so I might have to have my parents ship my DVD to me). Poop. More waiting. I'm a Jedi, but I hate waiting with some things._

_Le sigh. _

_Ah, well, at least I have fan fiction. *Grins obliviously*_

_Anyways, here's the next chapter. I hope ya'll are enjoying the series so far (and please, if you have something to say, shoot me a review or a PM!). As long as it's not flaming, I will always consider feedback and make changes accordingly. _

"_To the death!" "No, to the pain!"_

_(I'll give a virtual cookie to the first person who writes what movie that is from and the two characters that say those lines). _

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Blues, reds, and a stream of solid white flashed across Autumn's closed eyelids. She could feel the breeze against her skin now and for whatever reason, she could tell she hadn't died. But she still felt like puking all over the ground; and when her eyes opened, that is precisely what she did.

She flopped back against the ground and then shut her eyes once more. She had to reopen them because something wet and slimy slapped against her forehead and cheeks and she reached out to push whatever it was away. When the slimy thing did not retreat, she blinked her eyes open to look into the round yellowy green eyes of a black dragon.

"Toothless?" Autumn sat up and then regretted it as her stomach squirmed in discomfort. To conserve her dignity, she resisted the urge to regurgitate again. Toothless backed up as Autumn sat up completely and looked around. "Where are we?" He growled and then moaned in confusion.

"It's okay," Autumn said, placing her hand on his nose and then scratched him under his jaw. As she scratched the dragon, she looked around again. Around her was mist and she could barely make out the mountains in the distance. It was hard to tell if there were any villages around or even people. Autumn placed both hands on the ground and attempted to push herself to her feet, but her legs buckled and she fell back into a sitting position.

"I guess almost drowning isn't as fun as it sounds," Autumn said and Toothless moved closer so she could lean on him. "Thanks, Buddy." The dragon purred contentedly when she rubbed his neck. Then she pushed herself up and planted her feet so she could stand. This time her legs held up.

Autumn then swung her leg over and mounted Toothless' back, surprisingly he still had a saddle attached. Despite her mother's opposition to riding Toothless, Autumn noticed that Astrid never removed the saddle from Toothless.

Autumn felt like she could sense some wishful thinking behind the gesture of leaving things as they were. Not that Autumn could tell what was what and where from before her father died, but she could still tell what things Astrid didn't want to move or change. Autumn's thoughts on the matter were and probably always be neutral.

It was strange to not only know that your father was someone everyone missed and loved, but was also someone you would never get to meet. Autumn felt disconnected from her heritage because she'd only ever known one half of it her entire life. Everything she knew about Hiccup Horrendous Haddock was second hand. For all she knew, he could be a fictitious character that someone made up to inspire young riders to strive to be better.

"You know what, I think Hiccup is made up and my father is some village idiot that no one knows exists," Autumn said to Toothless, who snorted a negative. "What? He's not here, is he? How do you know he existed?"

Toothless shrugged his shoulders and plodded on across the dry, cracked ground. As they made their way through the mist, cliffs materialized and Autumn could see the tips of trees poking out of the mist.

"Okay, so something's alive out here," Autumn said and Toothless gave an uncertain rumble. "Maybe that's not such a good thing." Toothless was silent and sniffed the air, casting a glance around him. He had not seen such unfamiliar surroundings in all his life and it was frightening to the young dragon. The newest places he'd visited were in the Land of the Mist, but they were near Korenth's old castle. This entire area was filled with new smells and sights.

A bird screeched from the trees and suddenly the mist dissipated to reveal a neatly paved dirt path. Autumn and Toothless halted and she frowned, "I don't like this." Toothless' ears went back and he let out a low growl.

"You feel it too?" Autumn asked and the dragon slowly backed up, only to stop as something clicked. The hairs on the back of Autumn's neck stood up.

"That's an unusual dragon, Miss," A voice with a heavy accent said. It was different from those on Berk and she certainly couldn't place where it could be from.

"Yeah," Autumn said cautiously. She wished she still had her axe with her. The speaker's boots crunched on the ground and she glanced sideways to see that several figures had appeared at the edges of the forest. Their mouths were covered by masks and they had hoods pulled up over their heads. Each was armed with a crossbow and all of them had swords in their belts. She could tell they weren't here to fool around. She had to choose her words carefully if she was going to get out of this.

"Come quietly and we won't hurt you or your dragon," The leader finally emerged from behind Autumn and she had to scowl deeply at the black mask and hood. She couldn't make out his face. He held a large crossbow and his leather gloved finger rested casually on the trigger. "What'll it be?"

Autumn made quick eye contact with Toothless, who blinked in recognition. "Nope." She said, "Now, Toothless!" The dragon then launched himself upwards into the sky and they soared over the trees. Several crossbows twanged and missed hitting the two. Autumn breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was thudding in her chest. Those bandits could have killed both of them if Toothless hadn't made it up in time.

"Nice job, Toothless," Autumn said, patting the dragon's neck. He sniffed and she followed his gaze. There was a village up ahead. They would stop there and hope to find some shelter until they could figure out what to do next. At least a village would be safer than trying to make their way through a forest where bandits could kill them at any moment.

The two touched down and Autumn noted how empty the streets of the village were. Nobody was walking around save a man carrying a bucket of water.

"Excuse me," Autumn began, but before she could continue, the man had given Toothless one look and dropped his bucket, scrambling for the nearest building. Autumn watched him disappear and then glanced around. What was wrong with this village? It was so desolate and dry. Even Berk, a place that hadn't until now been known for being even remotely prosperous because of the constant dragon attacks had more life than this village. That wasn't even the strangest part, Autumn noted. It had clear signs of inhabitation, yet there was no one outside.

It was a beautiful day and not a soul was in sight.

Autumn blinked as a figure appeared out of the mist. This time, it was a woman. She looked to be about ten years younger than Stoick but she already looked like the years had dragged on far too long.

"Excuse me, but can you help me find a place to stay?" Autumn said. She hoped that this woman wouldn't run away for no apparent reason like the man had.

"You shouldn't be here." The woman stated. Autumn blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"You are a dragon rider, you should not be here," The woman said, her eyes going wide as if Autumn were going to attack at any moment.

"What do you mean? Are dragons feared here? Where I come from they're friendly," Autumn attempted to explain, but the woman shook her head and pointed a bony finger at Autumn.

"You, Girl, will bring misfortune upon your family if you remain here. Leave while you still have the chance," The woman stared deep into Autumn's green eyes.

"Misfortune?" Autumn had to laugh at that, "I don't think my family can have any more misfortune. My father was dead before I was born."

The woman scrutinized Autumn for a moment and then her expression changed to one of contemplation, "Your father is dead, you say?"

"Yes, he died in a shipwreck," Autumn replied. The woman nodded, stroking her thin boned chin.

"This is usual for your people, shipwrecks?" She asked. Autumn shook her head.

"No, my father was the first to die in one and no one has in years," Autumn replied, now noticing for herself how strange that was.

"The Gods have their reasons," The woman said, looking up at the sky. She motioned to Autumn, "Follow me. I shall give you shelter. I wish to discover more about this father of yours. It is rare that the Gods choose to take the life of a being and never again strike in the same place." Autumn followed the woman down one of the streets and into a creaky looking house at the end of the line.

"My name is Autumn, by the way. Autumn Haddock," Autumn said. "And this is Toothless." The woman turned her head to show the wispy strands of fading brown hair.

"I am Denha Haddoairi," She said. "Of the mountains."

* * *

Lloyd sat outside of the campfire, his knees drawn up to his chest. He stared blankly at the ground and made little effort to move.

"Lloyd, you should eat something," Gutlout stated in his usually blunt and gruff voice.

"I'm not hungry," Lloyd said and stood up abruptly before he stalked away from the campfire. Nothing was going to change what had happened. The moment the storm had stopped, Lloyd had turned Waves around and they flown around the sea, searching for any sign of Autumn. But nothing was found. A few splinters of wood floated around but no clothing or remains of what could be his friend was in sight. The water was calm and Lloyd didn't want to come to the frightening conclusion that Autumn was somewhere beneath those waves, dead.

He'd let her drown. Not only was she dead, but he'd let her die. He'd failed to save his friend and flown away while she drowned. Nothing could erase the guilt or the shame. For the rest of his life, he'd have to look into Astrid Haddock's eyes and know that he was the reason why she had no family left.

They were also a long way from home and in a place that gave Lloyd the creeps. Something about how the entire area was concealed in mist bothered him. He couldn't see beyond the screen and he knew the further he ventured in, the less likely it'd be that he'd come out again, at least, not in one piece. Not that Lloyd really cared about that at the moment. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to disappear.

A loud roar turned Lloyd's head around and he scrambled to his feet in a mad dash for the campfire. Waves was pinned down and several masked figures were holding Rug and Tug in headlocks with swords to their necks. Gutlout stood off to the side. Two crossbows were pointed straight at his chest and another at his back.

"Make any sudden moves and I'll kill all your friends," One of the masked figures said. Lloyd froze where he was.

"What do you want?" Lloyd asked, his eyes flicking over to where his two younger siblings were giving him frightened wide eye looks.

"Your dragon," The figure said, "And your cooperation."

"With what?" Lloyd demanded. "You'd damn well have a better reason than that for threatening kids."

"Peace, Boy," The lead figure said. "All you need to do is listen to what we say and nobody gets hurt." Lloyd glanced over at Gutlout, who nodded slowly and at his siblings, who were on the verge of hysterical tears.

"Fine, we'll cooperate, but the moment you try to hurt them," Lloyd said, "I'll make sure you regret you ever met me."

"I am sure I will," The figure said and nodded to his companions. They released the twins and the figure then nodded again and the other masked figures clapped iron shackles onto Lloyd's wrists.

"You'll make for a good mercenary, Boy, and your large friend, too. But your little friends will go elsewhere," He glanced over at the twins were clapped in shackles as well. "If they're lucky, they will be too small to go into the mines. Slavery would be better."

Lloyd's insides boiled at the thought of his brother and sister being sold into slavery. It maddened him that he had not only let Autumn die, but now he and the other Viking trainees were captives of bandits who clearly had trades that were completely immoral.

"Move," One of the bandits whacked Lloyd in the back with the butt of his crossbow and Lloyd staggered forward. Each one of them had two bandits with crossbows and Gutlout had four bandits around him. Lloyd had to wonder if the leader actually knew who was the real brains of the trainees. With a glance backwards, Lloyd confirmed that suspicion as the leader was watching Lloyd from behind the group. He casually strode with his finger still lingering on the trigger of the crossbow.

Lloyd glared at the leader. No matter what, Lloyd couldn't show fear, he was a Viking and he was the one who had gotten his friends into this mess. He would do whatever it took to get them out.

* * *

Astrid woke to the sound of shouting and running up and down the deck. She sat up and quickly made her way over to the bow where Fishlegs and the others were gathered. "What's going on?"

Tuffnut and Snotlout exchanged nervous glances. Finally Ruffnut stepped forward. "They found this," She held out a plank of wood. Part of the wood had black paint on it. It didn't take Astrid very long to literally and figuratively put the pieces together.

"This is part of the ship they were on," Astrid said, frowning. She jogged over to the railing and looked down. Pieces of wood floated around in the water, but there was no sign of any of the young trainees.

"They couldn't have…" Astrid said.

"They probably found a way out," Fishlegs provided. "Waves was with them." Astrid nodded.

"That's right, they wouldn't go down that easily, they're Vikings," She looked out at the setting sun. "We're stubborn and so are they."

"Actually, I think it's just you," Tuffnut said and received a jab from the butt of Astrid's axe. "Ow, I am hurt, I am very much hurt!" He off to the other side of the deck, leaving Astrid to grin.

"Just like old times," Snotlout said, smiling.

"Except that now you actually have a brain," Ruffnut said. Snotlout scowled at her, but resisted the urge to punch her because Fishlegs was watching Snotlout out of the corner of his eye.

"Land Ho!" Tuffnut's voice brought everyone's attention to the large land form visible through the mist.

"What is that?" Snotlout blurted.

"It's a land form, or did you think Berk was floating on air?" Ruffnut asked with a roll of her eyes.

"No, I know what it is, I meant what is it called? I've never seen this on any of our maps," Snotlout said. Astrid narrowed her eyes.

"I haven't either," She hefted her axe, "But there's only one way to find out." She nodded to Fishlegs, who steered the ship onto the shoreline.

**A/N- Well, some of you asked for some more action, and I guess if that's not action, I don't know what is. =) More to come, by the way. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**

* * *

****A special thanks to the following people for their support of this story: **

**James317**

**Psalms chapter 34 verse 11**

**Httydluver13**

**Ikatsui Karite no Makai**

**Toothless-the-nightfury**


	6. Discoveries

**Chapter 5**

**Discoveries**

_A/N- Well, I guess I should start off by apologizing for the extreme amounts of suspense I have put in this fic (and the hair pulling curiosity it seems to be causing many of you). I should have warned everyone that I have a bad habit of making my stories extremely suspenseful and I like to end chapter on cliff hangers. Apparently they're good cliff hangers or people wouldn't be asking me what's going to happen next. I'm pleased that this is a successful story and I hope everyone will bear with me until the moment of revelation comes. _

_I will try to make the suspense less excruciating, but unfortunately with the conflicts and story I've chosen, it's just part of the story's progression. _

_That said, I am working hard to push this story along as quickly as possible (without ruining the quality). I hate rushing things, especially stories, so I must apologize in advance if that causes anyone to have an anxiety attack or something (I seriously hope people aren't that stressed by this story). _

_Anyways, I'm pleased to present this next chapter and I'd like to thank everyone for supporting this story and reading "Beautiful World." Unfortunately I must inform anyone who has added that story to their alerts that it was meant as a one-shot. I must be terrible at ending one-shots because I keep getting alerts on the ones I've written. Ha, ha._

_I do plan to start another series of HTTYD drabbles/one-shots at some point. But I'm probably going to wait until "Always" is almost done for that since I have other stories I need to update and college work. _

_Without further ado, here is the next chapter of "Always."_

_Enjoy,_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Autumn found herself in wonderment over the home of Denha. The woman was odd enough with her cryptic warnings about dragon riders not being welcome in the village. She didn't offer any further explanation on the matter, which made Autumn wonder in turn if there was some kind of secret about this place that she didn't know about. It was altogether a high probability since Autumn literally knew nothing about where she was or what was going on the area.

She also knew that she was completely cut off from her friends. The last she'd seen of Lloyd and the others was a brief glimpse of Lloyd's mortified expression right before she slipped into the water. Waves probably had gotten them out of the ship in time, but Autumn still didn't know where they were or if they even knew where she was.

They were in unknown territory and things seemed to only grow more and more confusing as she gained more information, if one could call it that at all. Autumn slowly walked down the narrow hallway to the kitchen and paused as one of the pictures on the wall caught her eye.

The painting was of a man in a dark cloak, three children; two boys and a girl, and then a woman with bright green eyes and russet colored hair. Something about the painting was eerily familiar, but Autumn couldn't place what it was. The floor boards creaked and Autumn saw Denha staring at the painting with a fond sort of intensity. Her eyes were filled with a distant sort of longing and she placed a hand on the outside frame.

"My family," She said plainly. "All gone now. The Gods haven't given me the time to find out where they went, but it is their will that it be that way," She dropped her hand to her side and then waved Autumn to the kitchen. "Come." Autumn followed the older woman into the kitchen and Denha gestured to one of the chairs at the tiny round table. "Have a seat."

Autumn sat down, casting a look around the kitchen until she noticed that Denha was watching her. "You are a curious girl, Child. No doubt it gets you in trouble."

Autumn smiled wryly, "My mother seems to think so."

"She's right," Denha said with a curt nod as she took a tea pot and put it over the small fireplace. Then she came back to the table and sat down opposite Autumn. "Now, tell me, Autumn Haddock, where is it that you come from?"

Autumn hesitated, wondering how safe it was to tell this woman anything about Autumn's life, but at this point she had to trust Denha. "I'm from Berk."

"Berk?" Denha's brow knitted. "What in the name of the Gods brought you all the way over here?"

Autumn sighed, "I was looking for my father."

"A different time it is now that children have to keep track of their parents," Denha clicked her tongue in disapproval, "Parents are supposed to stay in one place."

Autumn had to smile at the misunderstanding, "No, my father's dead, remember?"

"Ah, yes, yes, I remember now," Denha said, nodding, "My apologies. My memory has been faulty of late." She folded her hands together on the table, "So you came all the way out here to look for a father that you know is dead?"

"More like I wanted to just find out if he even existed in the first place," Autumn said with a shrug. Denha raised an eyebrow.

"If he died, then he's sure to have existed. You are his child, so your existence proves his," Denha said and then got up to retrieve the tea-pot from the fire and began preparing some tea. Autumn felt herself redden slightly at the memory of the conversation she'd had with Lloyd about the same topic.

"He died before I was born. It's hard not to think he's some sort of fictitious story my mom concocted because his death was too painful."

"What about it do you think is fictitious?" Denha questioned. Her eyes were suddenly wistful. Autumn briefly wondered if Denha knew more than she was letting on and she was simply trying to get Autumn to guess at the truth.

"All of it. Maybe he died of a disease and mom just said he died in a shipwreck because she wanted to hope that he was still out in the world somewhere," Autumn said, frowning.

"And she convinced the whole village to believe the same?" Denha questioned, smiling. Autumn blinked.

"Well, yeah, maybe they all say that to make her feel better," Autumn offered, but Denha let out a wonderfully light laugh that Autumn never would have thought could come from this woman.

"You have a extremely creative mind, Autumn," Denha placed one of the cups on the table and sat down with hers in her hand. She smelled the tea, closing her eyes for a moment and then took a long drink. She placed the cup down again and fixated Autumn with a firm, yet gentle stare. "You are young, Autumn. So it is hard for you to fathom how in the name of the Gods that your life came to be when one crucial piece is missing," Denha laced her fingers together. "But this is often the case in this world. Some die, some don't, only the Gods know why." She cast a glance down the hall where the painting hung and then turned back to Autumn.

"Those two boys in the painting were my brothers," Denha said. "They disappeared many years ago in a shipwreck, not unlike your father. Perhaps they died and perhaps they began a new life somewhere else. It is not my place to wonder why things like this happen or ask the Gods why. But I can hope that someday I will discover the answer on my own."

Denha then stood up and went to one of the shelves and retrieved a small box. She placed the box on the table and gestured to Autumn. "Open it." Autumn gently eased the top up and then lifted the small amulet out, holding it lightly in her hand.

"What is this?" Autumn asked. Denha scooped up the amulet and chain and held it under the light of the fireplace. Autumn crossed over and bent over to look at the small initials and insignia carved into the back:

_SH, DH, SLH. _

The insignia was of a dragon holding a tiny heart in its claws. Autumn frowned and then looked up at Denha. "What do those initials stand for?"

"My brothers' initials and mine," She pressed the amulet into Autumn's hands. "I want you to have it."

"Why?" Autumn blurted incredulously. Here was a Denha, a woman Autumn didn't know, giving Autumn something that was clearly a keepsake of extreme importance to Denha's past.

"Because my life's journey is over. I cannot ask the Gods to give me any more than I already have. This village is my home. I am the last of my family and to get lost on a quest where my bloodline might end is not where I am meant to go. You, however, have your entire life ahead of you. You can discover more answers than I have or could at this point. I cannot leave this village as it has been the home of my family for generations. If they return, I must be here to greet them. But you, Autumn are meant to leave and find what you may."

Autumn was silent as she took in Denha's words, "Then why did you warn me about this village being dangerous if it was your home?"

"Staying in one place is always dangerous, Child," Denha said with a tired sigh. "When you spend your life waiting for the past to return, you find yourself stuck in one place for the rest of your life," Denha sat down at the table. "There are traders out there as well. They have taken what people were left in this village and none have returned. My brothers set out in hopes of finding a new land to live in. I waited for them to return until I heard that their ship had been lost at sea."

Autumn's heart went out to this woman. She had lost her family and was stuck waiting for whatever fate was meant to take her. "Why not look for them? You might be able to find them now."

"No, I cannot," Denha said with a shake of her head, "I have a life here now." Autumn looked up as the door opened. A man walked in. He was wearing a green tunic with a brown vest over it and loose pants. He was the same age as Denha, but with graying hair at the edges of his blonde head. His scruffy beard reminded Autumn of Fishlegs when he hadn't cleaned up in a few days.

"You must go and find your life elsewhere," Denha said.

"Friend of yours, Denha?" The man asked.

"Yes, a very dear friend," Denha said with a warm smile. Before Autumn could ask what the smile was about, the sound of hoofbeats thundered outside the window and the house shook. "Ernest, show her the way out the back." Denha said hurriedly. The man nodded and grabbed Autumn by the arm.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here," He said. Autumn found herself dragged to the back of the tiny house and then Ernest slowly opened the door, looked around and then held it open for Autumn. "Go, they'll be around the back in a moment."

"Wait, what's going on?" Autumn asked. Ernest didn't answer and pulled a crossbow out from behind the door. He clicked it and pushed her out the door. Toothless growled and followed her out.

"Run and don't turn around," He said and Autumn then bolted, not really sure what else to do. She grasped the amulet tightly in her hand and kept running. Shouts and the clattering of swords sounded behind her, but she ran until she reached the forest. Then they ducked inside of it and walked on, trying to catch her breath. Toothles cast a furtive glance around. The hoofbeats went past where she walked and then silence fell. She couldn't be sure what had happened to Ernest and Denha, but Autumn did know that Denha was on to something. Denha knew something about Autumn and about her family. What though, Autumn wasn't sure.

She stopped and opened her hand. She stared at the amulet, turning it over and over in her palm. After a moment, she clasped the amulet around her neck and continued walking. Nothing made any sense. Instead of finding more clues as to what happened to her father, Autumn had just found another unsolvable mystery. "Great," Autumn muttered and leaned against a tree, shutting her eyes in frustration.

"She went this way!" The shout turned Autumn's attention the edge of the forest where she saw horses and riders rapidly approaching. They'd turned around. Autumn once again bolted, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her through the trees. The crunching and thumping told her that the horses had decided to ride through the forest to pursue her.

Twang! Autumn's leg buckled as an arrow struck it from behind. Another _Twang _and an arrow struck her upper arm. "That's enough! We want her in good condition!" Another arrow struck her in her shoulder and another in her abdomen.

"I said enough!" She heard the wind whistle and a thud. Someone had just been killed. The leaves and twigs crunched around her ears and she turned her head slightly to see a masked figure standing over her. It was a different one from behind. This one had sharp yellowy brown eyes peering out from under his black hood and he was wearing a green tunic.

"We'll have to treat her when we get back to the post," One of the other masked figures said. The green tunic clad one nodded. Two hands roughly hauled her up. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Toothless had been tied down and shackled. He was pulled at his restraints, growling and trying to snap the hands off his captors.

"Tell your dragon that if he keeps pulling, we'll have to kill him," One of the figures said. Autumn turned to the Night Fury.

"Toothless, stop," Autumn said. The dragon looked at her in confusion and she nodded. "You need to trust me. Don't resist them." He slowly stopped trying to pull on the restraints and hung his head. Then one of the figures pulled her up onto one of the horses.

"You'll have to ride since you're injured," The green tunic figure said. Autumn squeezed her eyes shut to close out the pain. She could only hope that there was a way out of this.

* * *

Lloyd winced as he was shoved roughly to the ground. "Okay, rest. We'll pick up again in an hour."

He heaved a deep and ragged breath. Throughout their long trek they'd been kicked, punched, and hit many times with either the side of one of the crossbows or with the flat of a sword. Rug and Tug had already been kicked, but thankfully neither had been hit with a sword or a crossbow.

Lloyd, on the other hand, had resisted and fought at every opportune moment, earning him the most abuse out of all the trainees. At this point, he couldn't even see out of one of his eyes and his shoulder sported a gash from where one of the bandits had struck him with a sword.

"You shouldn't keep provoking them or you won't make it," Gutlout said under his breath. Lloyd shifted and gave his friend a harsh glare.

"I'm fine," Lloyd said. Gutlout paused and then frowned.

"Just because you blame yourself for what happened to Autumn, does not mean you have to punish yourself now," Lloyd turned from wiping the blood off his lip and stared pointedly down at the ground.

"It's none of your business," Lloyd said curtly. Gutlout's eyes were cast in shadows as he furrowed his brow even more.

"Of course it is. She was my friend too. I couldn't reach her hand and if it's anyone's fault that she's gone, it's mine," Gutlout stated. Lloyd opened his mouth and then shut it. The truth was that Lloyd knew that Gutlout was the closest to being able to help Autumn, but Lloyd blamed himself for suggesting that they go find her father because if he hadn't, they wouldn't need to be having this conversation in the first place.

"Autumn's gone," Lloyd said, his shoulders slumped as he sat back on his hands. "I just can't get the image of her getting sucked under the waves from my mind."

"I can't either," Gutlout said, "But we have to stay calm and in the best condition if we're going to get out of this. We can't lose anyone else."

"We won't," Lloyd replied, his eyes glaring into the back of the leader of the bandits. "I swear on Autumn's death that no one else will suffer her fate."

"Be sure that you keep the same promise for yourself," Gutlout said and leaned back on the ground to sleep. With his eye swollen, Lloyd didn't find it easy to fall asleep. But eventually he did and for a brief thirty minutes he was able to rest before he was hauled to his feet again and forced to march onwards.

He would wait for the right moment.

Astrid ran onto the shore and immediately began to survey her surroundings. She picked up the smell of iron on the air and glanced around for the source. She didn't have to look far to see the a rusted piece of driftwood on the far end of the shore. She ran over to it and dropped into a crouch to examine it. It was covered in dark stains and at close examination she could tell that it was blood. There was dried blood all over the rocks nearby and Astrid stood up as the other trainees joined her.

"What'd you find?" Snotlout asked. Astrid held out the driftwood and Snotlout examined it. Fishlegs took it from his friend and frowned before he turned back to Astrid.

"It's dry and has been for a long time," Fishlegs said.

"How long is a long time?" Tuffnut asked. Ruffnut folded her arms across her chest.

"Idiot, don't ask stupid questions," Tuffnut elbowed his sister and the two began arguing as Fishlegs opened his mouth to speak again.

"Years," Fishlegs' answer turned the twins' heads around and Fishlegs could see that he had everyone's full attention, "Possibly longer than five."

"More than five?" Astrid repeated. She glanced down at the driftwood. So this wasn't from the ship that Autumn had taken. It was far too old. So why did she still smell iron?

"Astrid, you better come look at this," She turned and walked over to where Snotlout stood, pointing. She followed his finger to the smoke rising in the distance. They could barely see it through the mist, but the smoke was darker and had flames that broke through the mist.

"Let's go," She said and rushed off toward the rising smoke. The others followed in suit. They clambered over the rocks and ran down the narrow path they found leading through the forest and halted at the sight before them.

An entire village was up in flames before them. Bodies were lying all of the ground and all of them had arrows protruding from some or most parts of their bodies. Astrid looked around and then ran over as she saw the hand of one of the people twitch. She dropped to her knees and laid her head on the chest of the man.

"Don't bother," The man croaked. Astrid looked down at the man. He had a scruffy beard and a kindly face. His hand lifted, shaking as his finger pointed to the forest up ahead. "You need to go after her."

"Her?" Astrid asked. "Who is she?" Astrid asked, but the man's hand had already gone limp and dropped to his side. She leaned over and felt his wrist. He was dead. Astrid felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Fishlegs standing behind her.

"We might be able to go after whoever did this," Fishlegs stated, "If we hurry."

"And kick their butts," Tuffnut added.

"The only butt that's going to get any kicking is yours," Ruffnut put in. Fishlegs and Astrid started forward, ignoring the twins for the moment.

"Oh, yeah? Says who?" Tuffnut demanded.

"Me!" Ruffnut said and kicked her brother.

"Ow! I am hurt!" He ran off after Astrid and Fishlegs while Ruffnut and Snotlout trailed behind.

* * *

Autumn felt her skin burn and her eyes snapped opened. She glanced around and noticed the source of her pain. A figure in a white mask and hood was tending to her wounds.

"They're always overdoing it," The figure said, meeting Autumn's eyes. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this."

"Why are you apologizing?" Autumn asked bitterly, "You're with them, aren't you?" She winced as the figure dabbed at her shoulder again.

"I wouldn't say _with,_" The figure replied, "I'm just a healer who happened to get captured by them. It was either I heal them and their trade or get killed."

Autumn's eyes softened but her frown remained, "I guess there's something better about healing than dying."

The figure's mouth was covered, but Autumn could tell he or she was smiling, "I'd like to think so."

Autumn let out a ragged sigh and tried to relax. The pain from her shoulder wasn't the worst she'd had, but combined with the other wounds, it was mind numbing. "How long have you been with them?"

"As long as I can remember," The figure said and began to dress Astrid's leg. "I was very young when they captured me and I don't really remember much of what happened before then." Autumn's eyes scanned the figure. So they were in the same situation. There was an opportunity here then. If she could convince this person, whoever he or she was, Autumn could possibly make an escape.

"You won't make it far," The figure said, as if sensing Autumn's thoughts. "Believe me, I tried." Autumn felt even more sympathy for the person when she saw the hopelessness and sadness in the figure's eyes. Somehow, they had to help one another. Autumn just needed an opportunity.

After all, she was a Viking. She liked being stubborn. The figure looked at Autumn, but before she could say anything she felt a sharp pain and then she lost consciousness again.

* * *

**A/N- It's kind of hard not to do cliffhangers in a story like this. I'm going to the painting studio to work for a while and then I'll be back again later to try to get started on the next update. **

**Thanks for reading! =) **

**

* * *

****A special thanks to the following people for their support:**

**NightFuryCrazy**

**Pterodactyl**


	7. Sea Raiders

**Chapter 6**

**Sea Raiders**

_A/N- As promised, here is the next chapter. Woo! Double posting! =) Well, almost. _

_I changed my avatar on my profile. I thought it was about time I did. It's still HTTYD, but this time the picture is of Hiccup. I don't know if it'll load until sometime tomorrow. But whatever, I'm happy. _

_The title was something I came up with when I was thinking about this chapter's initial plot. It's super simple, but it stuck so I kept it. _

_I have a new song that's stuck in my head. "Zombie" by The Cranberries. It's got a good beat and I listened to it a lot while I was painting. I was so tempted to paint a picture of Hiccup, but that wasn't my painting assignment. =( _

_Well, I'm going to shut up now before some angry fans attack me for stalling before the actual chapter begins. =D_

_Toodles,_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Autumn groaned and swallowed hard. For some reason she felt really nauseated by the constant rocking of the ground. _Rocking? _Autumn abruptly sat up and looked around. She wasn't on the table in the masked figures' camp. She was lying in a cell with a single bench and it was nailed to the floor.

"A ship," Autumn breathed. So that was it, then. She was on a ship and she wasn't going to be able to get anywhere even if she did want to escape. She lay back onto the floor again. Things seemed to only be getting worse and worse as time went by.

She could only hope that the other trainees were faring better than she was. "You're awake. Good."

Autumn turned her head and sat up to look into the yellow brown eyes of the lead masked figure. She couldn't be sure of what to make of this person except that whoever it was, he or she was up to no good. From the voice, she sensed that it was probably a man. She shifted but didn't let her gaze falter.

"You know," The figure said, leaning against the wall nearest to the cell. "I'm doing you a favor."

"Yeah? You think shooting me with arrows and kidnapping me is a favor?" Autumn demanded. "You're just a sick person."

The figure's eyes lit with amusement, "That very well may be, but you are having a far better fate than those of anyone else who has run amok of our forest."

"Yeah, what's worse than being kidnapped?"

"Sold into slavery or to the mercenary core, there's also the mines for stronger people like you," The figure said.

"That's not what you're doing?" Autumn questioned, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Oh, no," The figure's mouth was obscured but from the tone of his voice she could tell he was smiling maliciously. "You are far too valuable a prize to be sold to the mines or slavery. No, we have a special place where we are going."

Autumn wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or concerned for her well being, but her gut feeling told her that this wasn't going to be any better than the other options the figure was listing. In fact, she had a distinct feeling that this fate would be much worse.

"You are lucky that you have a dragon," The figure said. "Otherwise you'd be sold along with anyone else."

"He's not my dragon," Autumn said crossly.

"Oh, so you are a thief?" The figure seemed amused by this. "I did not take you to be a criminal type."

"I'm a lot of things you don't know about and no, I didn't steal him," Autumn bit back, "Toothless belongs to my father and always will."

The figure scrutinized Autumn silently for a minute before he spoke again, "You are bitter toward your father."

"Who wouldn't be when he was never in my life," Autumn snapped. She was angry that she was having this conversation with a kidnapper of all people. It was infuriating and it only served to make her angrier that she had to stay in the cell and listen to him gloat about capturing her and taking her to Odin knows where.

"He left you?" The figure asked. His voice was surprisingly neutral. There was no malice or hidden motives in it. He was merely curious. Autumn drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"He died," Autumn said. "So I hate him."

"One should not resent the dead," The figure said calmly.

"What would you know about morals?" Autumn demanded. The figure's eyes frowned on her.

"Enough," The figure replied bluntly. "I may be a trader of immoral merchandise and a criminal, but I respect the dead. I honor them."

"That seems oddly out of character for you," Autumn said skeptically. The figure shrugged.

"Like you, I am many things that not everyone expects," A curious light entered his eyes before he turned and left the room. Autumn was forced to contemplate what was meant by those words and what it was that she would face when the voyage was over.

* * *

Lloyd slumped to the ground for the fifth time that day. They'd only taken breaks every few hours or more. It had gotten to the point where Lloyd was forced to encourage his siblings to keep going and at one point he had to carry Rug piggyback because her feet were so sore from trekking all day. The shackles around her wrists cut into his neck but he'd ignored the pain for the sake of the group.

He needed to be strong. They needed to survive this and escape at the first opportunity. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that Autumn's death wasn't his fault, Lloyd's guilt and pain convinced him otherwise. It was late in the evening and they had just stopped to rest for the first time in five hours.

He'd lost track of the dates, times, and how many times he'd assured himself that he'd find a way to escape. Yet, an opportunity had yet to present itself to them. Lloyd grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was raw and was bleeding a little from where his sister's shackles had cut into his skin.

"How are you holding up?" Lloyd turned his head to look at Gutlout, who looked equally as tired and sported some bruising on his face from when Gutlout had defended Tug from being kicked. The result had been a punch in the face and a kick in the chest. Lloyd was relieved that the bandits hadn't decided to pull out their swords because of that. He had a feeling they would decide to beat up on one of the trainees every so often just to prove that they were in power.

Lloyd wanted nothing more than to punch the living daylights out the leader's face and then exact his revenge and anger on the rest of the bandits. He knew that most of his anger was rooted in Autumn's death, but he couldn't find it in himself to care that the bandits weren't at fault for her death.

At the moment he only wanted to vent out his anger on something and they just happened to be right in front of him and antagonizing people he cared about. Lloyd didn't mind it as much when people beat him up since he literally had a thick skin and large build, but he would lose it completely if someone hurt someone he cared about.

Lloyd also knew that this righteous wrath was something his father also had. Fishlegs was a calm and quiet person, but when someone he cared about was hurt, he'd lose himself in a bloodlust rage.

"We're done for the evening, get some rest," The bandit leader barked and then went to his bedroll. The trainees were forced to sleep on the hard ground and Lloyd was sure that he'd gotten his weight in dirt in his boots and in his shirt.

"You notice they haven't killed us yet," Gutlout said, casting a protective glance over at the twins as they slumbered on. Lloyd looked at his siblings and then returned his attention to Gutlout.

"Joy, saving the best for last," Lloyd muttered. Gutlout chuckled. Lloyd wasn't much in the mood to be humorous, yet he'd made a joke nonetheless. That was usually Autumn's specialty, not his.

She had a knack for saying the right things at the right times and was generally light hearted. It almost shocked Lloyd how dangerous a situation could be and she'd still be joking about it. He really wished she was here making a joke at the moment because he needed it.

"We're approaching mountain territory," Gutlout said in a low voice so only Lloyd could hear.

"Great place to lose anyone who's following us," Lloyd said bitterly. Not that anyone was actually following the trainees. He doubted that his or any of the other trainee's parents were that close behind if at all. If he didn't know where he was, he doubted they did either.

"Or to lose our captors," Gutlout's comment gained Lloyd's full attention.

"You have a plan?" Lloyd whispered. Gutlout shrugged.

"More or less," The bigger Viking smiled and clapped Lloyd on the shoulder. "Just follow my lead and you'll get it." Lloyd nodded. He trusted Gutlout's judgment more than Lloyd's own at the moment because he was so embittered.

"Hey!" Gutlout yelled. Lloyd looked from Gutlout to the bandits, who stirred from their sleep at the sound of Gutlout's voice. "Hey, we need some water!"

"You'll get it in the morning," The leader stated bluntly and laid back down on his bedroll.

"Okay, but you don't want us fainting of heat exhaustion do you?" Gutlout asked. Lloyd caught on and decided to put in his bit.

"Yeah, he's not easy to carry unconscious," Lloyd added. Gutlout glared at his friend for the insult, but the comments had done the work. The bandits crossed over and the leader looked the trainees over.

"Fine, I'll take three and go get the water," The leader said, casting a glare at Gutlout and Lloyd. Apparently even the bandit leader wasn't in his top form when tired. Lloyd was slowly getting why Gutlout had chosen this moment to hatch a plan. As soon as the leader was a good distance away, Gutlout nodded to Lloyd. He crossed over to his siblings and shook them. Then Gutlout walked over to the remaining sleeping bandits and with his shackled hands knocked them out one by one. Lloyd then joined his friend and used one of the crossbows to smash his shackles off. He did the same for his siblings and Gutlout and without waiting to see if the leader had returned, they ran as fast as they could away.

Astrid looked up as she saw something on the ground up ahead. She felt her heart drop into her stomach and then rushed over. A woman was lying on the forest floor with a bruise on her forehead. Astrid felt the woman's pulse and sighed in relief. Astrid had seen enough death for one day and wasn't up for seeing someone else die before her eyes.

"'Lout!" She called and Snotlout ran over, dropping down into a kneeling position. "She's still breathing." He pulled out a canteen of water and poured it into the woman's mouth. She coughed and then opened her eyes a fraction.

"You must hurry… the girl… she's not too far ahead," The woman croaked. Astrid sighed. Another cryptic warning about someone in danger, was the 'her' that the man had mentioned this woman or was it the girl?

Astrid stood up. "'Lout, stay with her, she needs medical attention, I'll go on ahead with Fishlegs."

"I'm coming with you," Ruffnut stated. Fishlegs looked over at Tuffnut and Snotlout.

"We can handle ourselves, go," Snotlout stated and Astrid nodded before sprinting away with the others close at her heels.

* * *

Lloyd let out a raspy breath as he picked up his pace. The bandits couldn't be far behind. He'd heard them shouting soon after the trainees made their escape from the camp. He saw trees up ahead and decided to duck into them.

He bolted so quickly that he didn't look ahead of him and ran smack into something solid. He fell backwards, hitting his head so hard that his vision blurred right before he passed out. As his vision was going, he glimpsed the outline of a group of people and he could have sworn they looked familiar.

Then he was out.

* * *

Autumn finished another random drawing on the floor boards with a rock and rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. She couldn't tell how long she'd been stuck on the ship or how long it would be before they disembarked. But she did know that she was slowly losing any hope of a chance that she might escape.

She sighed and closed her eyes. It was only a minute or two later that her eyes snapped back open to the sound of shouting and the thudding of boots on the deck above her head. She lifted her head to look up curiously. Apparently something was stirring on the main deck. What, though, she'd have to wait and find out.

Thumping on the stairs told her that someone was coming down to give her that explanation. It was the leader. He turned the corner and went to the weapon's rack on the wall. "Did one of your minions jump ship?" Autumn asked in a feigned curiosity. She honestly knew that the less people she had to deal with when she made her escape, the better chance she'd actually have at succeeding.

"No, we are under attack," The leader said, his eyes rested on her for a moment. "By sea raiders," He started back up the steps and called over his shoulder, "More commonly known as pirates."

**A/N- Pirates and Vikings and Dragons, Oh My! =D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**See you at the next one. =) **


	8. The Tough Side of the Heart

**Chapter 7**

**The Tough side of the Heart**

_A/N- Woo, I'm on a roll! I finished my painting for class so I'd have the time to update again. *Pumps fist*_

_Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the last few chapters. I don't have much to say about this one except that some interesting things are about to happen. _

"_To fuss is human. To rant, divine!" (10 virtual cookies to the first person to tell me in a review or PM what book this is from). By the way, if you look it up on the internet it's not nearly as cool as just knowing where it's from._

_Just saying. ;) _

_On to the chapter!_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Autumn hardly had to wait ten minutes before she heard the clanging of metal against metal and the occasional thud as someone fell onto the deck, presumably dead or fatally wounded. Autumn could only hope that the outcome of this fight would be far better than her original fate. She glanced over at the other cell at the far end of the room. In it, Toothless lay with his eyes fixated on Autumn as if he'd sensed her thoughts. She noticed immediately that the masked figures, despite their efforts to restrain the dragon, his mouth was still left alone. She had to wonder if the leader had a brain at all. All dragons, no matter how large or small, could breathe fire. Toothless was no exception.

"Buddy," She said, knowing that her voice wouldn't be heard over the din upstairs. "Shoot some fire straight at this door. Toothless lifted his head slightly and stared at Autumn as though contemplating whether or not she was crazy.

"Just trust me, shoot it really quickly," Autumn backed away from the door. She knew that if Toothless misfired, the door would fuse shut or worse, she'd be burnt to a crisp. Toothless lifted his head as much as he could and opened his mouth and a jet of fire struck the door. The metal melted under the extreme heat and Autumn easily bent the lock off the door. She glanced toward the stairs and without waiting she ran over to free Toothless. She used one of the axes from the wall to bash open the door to his cell and then chopped off his shackles.

"Okay, we need to get out of here," Autumn said. No sooner were the words out of her mouth then voices came from the top of the stairs.

"I heard commotion from down here, let's check their brig," Autumn gripped the axe tightly and Toothless poised himself in front of her, snarling in anticipation. The clomping of boots down the steps grew louder and Autumn looked up to see three figures step onto the floor and then rest their gaze on her. Two were dressed in loose tunics, identical black vests pants and thin boots. The third wore a long coat, a thicker vest, and heavier boots. All three had red insignias sewn into their vests and the third had one sewn into his coat. The figures all had their faces wrapped in masks with green cloths. At their belts were swords and a wide range of daggers as well as other weapons.

"A girl? They took a girl?" One of the other figures blurted.

"She's got a dragon," The other said. The third silently stood there, his eyes scrutinizing Autumn for what seemed like an eternity.

"What?" Autumn demanded of the third figure.

"Aw, Boss, not again," One of the figures groaned. "Sorry about that, his memory's pretty loopy. He don't know his friends from his foes sometimes."

"Yeah, one time he nearly tackled one of the prisoners we rescued because he thought she looked familiar," Both pirates shook their heads in unison. Meanwhile, the leader they had called "Boss" was still studying Autumn. Finally he tore his gaze from her and drew his sword to stab a masked figure who had jumped from the step in an attempt to sneak up on the pirates. The figure dropped and the Boss sheathed his sword while the other pirates took the weapons and other items on the masked figure's body.

"Rescue?" Autumn said, frowning and not lowering her guard. "Just who are you people?"

"Oh, how rude of us," The pirate with a light and friendly voice said. "I'm Pug and this is Riggs."

"I'm in charge of the riggin on the ship, ifin you haven't guessed," The other pirate said. "This is our Boss. Most of us don't ever use his name, we just call him Boss."

"I noticed," Autumn said, raising an eyebrow for a second. The Boss turned his head and once again quickly took down another would be attacker.

"We'd best get going," Riggs said, "Unless you'd like to get a front row ticket to dragon fighting."

Autumn frowned, "Dragon fighting?"

"Yeah, that's what these guys do, they steal dragons and sell them so they can bet on them in fights," Pug replied, his eyes darkening. "You'd just be a lowly assistant and have to watch the carnage every day." Autumn stared blankly at the pirates for a few minutes, wondering just what in the name of the Gods she'd run into. First it was these sketchy masked figures and then these equally mysterious "pirates" who claimed they rescued people from the masked figures.

"What kind of pirates are you guys?" Autumn asked finally. Riggs lifted his hand in a friendly wave.

"The good kind!" Riggs replied with a thumbs up. Pug punched his companion in the arm.

"We're dragon pirates," He supplied, "We steal dragons from people who abuse them. We also like to give these masked bandits a little trouble since they're usually the ones behind dragon killings."

Autumn felt herself warm to these pirates. Despite what the masked leader had told her. These pirates were infinitely friendlier and thus seemed a better choice for companionship.

"Climb aboard your dragon and we'll get ye out of here," Pug said. Autumn needed no further telling and mounted Toothless, who was still eyeing the pirate with some misgiving. But his yellow eyes wouldn't leave the leader. For a second Autumn's eyes rested on the leader's form as he stared off into space.

"Move out!" The Boss then yelled and the two pirates rushed up the stairs, drawing their swords and bashing aside any bandits that got in their way. Autumn urged Toothless forward and the moment he got to the top of the stairs he took off and soared high over the ship. The eyes of all those fighting followed the dragon and rider and then returned to their engagement.

"Fly to the other ship!" Pug called and Autumn soared to the ship across from the bandits'. She watched in amazement as the bandits were beaten back by the pirates. The Boss in particular was incredible. He moved slowly and with an awkward gait, but his strokes were clean and each time he slashed another bandit went down. To Autumn's surprise, she could see the bandits were still breathing after being hit.

The Boss wasn't killing them. He was just knocking them out. But why? She only had to wait a few more minutes before the other pirates swung on ropes or ran across the planks back over to their ship.

"Pull out!" The Boss called and the pirates scurried to obey, retrieving their planks and the ship slowly moved away. She saw some of the bandits standing up and rubbing their heads. The leader was rubbing his head and looked over at her, his gaze was angry and penetrating down to her core. She looked away. A gentle and calm voice graced her ears and she turned around to face the leader of the pirates. The Boss was now standing with his arms folded and his arms out of his coat sleeves. The coat was somehow latched onto his shoulders without the sleeves. She wondered when he'd taken them out.

"Don't worry, there's no one here who will touch you or your dragon." He looked down at her with calm eyes. They suddenly narrowed and he abruptly turned away and retreated to the staircase. Autumn wondered if she'd done something wrong by not responding or saying thank you. She was in shock.

"Don't worry, he does that a lot," Pug said. This pirate seemed to offer her all the right explanations and answers at the right times. Autumn looked around at the other pirate.

"What did you mean when you said his memory's loopy?" Autumn asked. Pug's eyes furrowed and he stared out at the sea as the ship sailed out toward the horizon.

"Until a few months ago, The Boss hasn't been able to remember anything about his past," Pug said. "When we found him aboard the bandits' ship many years back, he was in horrible shape and he wouldn't say much of anything to anyone. We figured it was the trauma from whatever the bandits had done to him."

"They didn't hurt me," Autumn said. "At least not more than I would have been in a raid."

Pug nodded, "You were lucky that you had a dragon. Normally they'd just kill people or beat them up plenty before turning them over to someone else for a worse fate."

"The leader said that too," Autumn said, mulling over the past events, "He said that because I had a dragon, I was spared."

"Dengar's a demented bloke," Pug said in a low tone. Autumn could sense there was something personal behind that statement, but she didn't ask out of respect for Pug's privacy. If he didn't want to say anything about that, she wouldn't probe the issue.

"That's his name, Dengar?" Autumn asked. Pug nodded, folding his arms across his shade.

"Dengar Hendras," Pug continued, "He used to be a well known pirate in these parts. But something happened and he formed a group of bandits who terrorize anyone they come into contact with."

"Why?" Autumn asked.

"Money probably," Pug said with a shrug, "Point is that he's long gone to being a brutal murderer." Autumn fell silent. If someone could be so corrupted by greed alone, who's to say anyone else wouldn't be tempted away from his or her responsibilities by other things too. _Maybe dad was too and that's why he didn't come back, _Autumn thought. _No wonder mom didn't want to talk about him. _

"Wait," Autumn said suddenly, "You said until a few months ago, does that mean your Boss remembered someone from his past?"

Pug shook his head, "More like a thing from his past. He remembered an image of his past. We can't make heads nor tails of it since it's so vague."

Autumn's eyes went back to the stairs where the Boss had disappeared. He had been staring at her so strangely, that had to mean something.

"He was staring at me," Autumn said. "I wonder if I remind him of someone."

Pug shrugged again, "It's possible. We always meet people in our lives who remind us of familiar things or people."

Autumn nodded. "Maybe I can help him remember something by being here." Pug's eyes lit with a bright light and she could tell he was smiling. She had to wonder why it was that everyone in this region wore masks, but that was a question for another time.

"Let us hope that you bring him more memories than we could," Pug said with a nod.

* * *

Lloyd's eyes blinked open to stare up at a dizzying site of trees towering above him in a circle and light glaring into his face. He shut his eyes and turned his head away so he could see properly.

"He's awake!" Lloyd heard Rug's voice call. Gutlout's form walked over and crouched at Lloyd's side and the larger Viking smiled.

"Glad to see you're awake," He said. "We were worried that you'd hit your head really hard."

"I did," Lloyd said, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head gingerly. "What happened?" Gutlout turned his head and Lloyd followed his gaze. There a short distance away were five people that Lloyd wouldn't miss anywhere.

"Dad?" He blurted. Fishlegs turned his head at the sound of his son's voice and stood up from the small campfire to walk over. He knelt next to Lloyd and placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"Are you alright, Lloyd? You hit your head pretty hard back there," Fishlegs said. Ruff watched this from a distance, her natural stubbornness when it came to showing concern and emotions was evident. After a minute she stood up and walked over, hugged Lloyd and then slugged him in the arm and then returned to the campfire. Fishlegs smiled at Ruffnut and then returned his gaze to Lloyd.

"She was worried sick, you know," Fishlegs said. Lloyd sighed. At this point Gutlout had already gone to join his father at the campfire.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Lloyd lowered his head. Fishlegs nodded and squeezed his son's shoulder. "I…" His words got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say what had happened to Autumn. Not when Astrid was right there. The event was still fresh in Lloyd's mind and he wasn't willing to accept the truth yet himself.

"Gutlout told us what happened," Fishlegs said calmly, the hurt in his tone was evident and Lloyd hid his face in shame. Fishlegs stood up, "We should get your injuries treated as soon as possible," Lloyd nodded silently. He couldn't bring himself to speak or look at Astrid.

Fishlegs nodded to Ruffnut and she stood up to walk over to her son. She was the skilled healer in their family and at the moment, Fishlegs felt the need to sit with Astrid. The girl was sitting with a stoic expression and blank and listless eyes. Her eyes stared hard into the flames of the fire as though hoping they'd leap out and burn down the forest. She was in a numb state of shock and hadn't said anything following Gutlout's story.

Fishlegs couldn't imagine how much pain he'd be in if Ruffnut and his children had died. Just losing one of them would be excruciating, but all of them would be too much. He could only imagine what Astrid was feeling after losing her one and only daughter. First she'd lost the love of her life and now her daughter was dead as well.

The woman they'd found hadn't made it through the night and the only thing they'd gotten from her before she died was another cryptic sequence of words. Fishlegs looked over at the small mound they erected for the woman's burial. It was harrowing to know that it would remain unmarked because they didn't know who this woman was, let alone what her name was.

"Ast," Fishlegs said quietly. She didn't turn and he felt his heart ache to see the lifelessness in her eyes and the paleness of her skin. She hadn't eaten at all since receiving the news and she hadn't slept either. "At least eat something."

"Nothing tastes like anything," Astrid said. Fishlegs looked at her, though he really wanted to look away because tears were forming in his eyes at the sight of tears in hers.

"I'm sorry, Astrid, I'm so sorry," Fishlegs said, bowing his head. Astrid managed a faint smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Fish, you didn't know this was going to happen," She looked over at Lloyd, who was sitting quietly with a sober expression while Ruffnut treated his injuries. "It's not Lloyd's fault either."

Fishlegs shook his head, "I know, but why did it have to happen to both Hiccup and Autumn? Haven't you lost enough?"

Astrid shrugged, "Odin knows why both of them had to die, but I'm not going to let that tear me down." She let out a ragged sigh and stood up. "I'm going to sleep for a while."

"Okay," Fishlegs said in a barely audible voice. He was relieved that Astrid was going to sleep, but he had the feeling she was walking away to hide her tears. That's who Astrid was, she was tough and the only person that she'd ever shown her true feelings to was Hiccup. Fishlegs didn't know if Autumn had seen her mother cry, but he doubted it. Astrid was tough inside and out.

* * *

The Boss tossed and turned that night. Again and again the same image haunted him. His eyes snapped open and he slid out of his bed and wrapped his mask over his face, pulled on his coat and stepped out onto the deck. He leaned against the railing, letting out a sigh.

"You want to talk about it?" He turned to see the girl that they had rescued earlier standing behind him with her arms folded across her chest. She joined him at the railing and leaned her arms on it, clasping her hands together as the fingers dangled down. "My mom's the same way. She has nightmares every night and doesn't want anyone to know that it's bothering her. Except that I've always noticed it. I told her that if she talked about the nightmare, maybe it wouldn't scare her so much. She just smiles at me and tells me I'm worrying too much."

She looked over at the Boss. His eyes studied her once more and finally he spoke. "You are a very sharp girl. No doubt you get that from your mother."

Autumn shook her head. "Not really. My mom says I get most of my observational skills from my father. But I wouldn't know."

The Boss looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and gentle concern, "Why not?"

"My dad died before I was born," She was amazed at how many times she'd repeated this story over the past few days. Except this time she didn't feel as weird telling this man the story for some reason. It felt natural and safe, unlike telling Dengar the bandit about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that," The Boss said. Autumn shrugged.

"It's okay, I don't really remember him at all, so it's hard to know how to feel about it," She paused and stared at him for a second as his gaze meandered to fixate on the moonlit water. "What's your real name?"

The Boss turned his head to rest on Autumn. "Pug told me no one calls you by your real name. I was wondering if it was because you didn't like it or…?" She left that off as the Boss leaned heavily on the railing.

"I don't have one," He said, "They tell everyone who comes onto this ship because they don't want me to feel pressed to try to remember if I did."

"So you don't even know what your name is? Nothing?" Autumn asked. The leader of the pirates shook his head and then at Autumn's pained expression, placed his hand gently on her head and gently brushed the hair from her face.

"Don't worry about me, I've got enough identity to survive on here," He looked out at the water once more. Autumn couldn't help but feel responsible somehow for making sure that this man, whoever he really was, remembered who he was.

"What if you told me about the nightmare, maybe I could tell you something about it," Autumn offered. The Boss shook his head.

"Thank you," He placed his hands on her shoulders, "But you should be worrying about getting home. We'll take you wherever you need to in order to get there." With that, he left Autumn on the deck to wonder just how she was going to get to the bottom of this man's mystery.

* * *

**A/N- More mystery and more questions! =) See you guys at the next one!**

**Thanks to the following people for supporting this story:**

**Alicia Rose Cullen**

**

* * *

This has been, **

**Don "QuixoticQuest" ^_^**


	9. Amid the Night's Revelations

**Chapter 8**

**Amid the Night's Revelations**

_A/N- I had a spare hour or so to get working on this chapter and I had the idea mapped out in my head, so I decided to just hack away at it._

_I just got an internship confirmation for my job term at college, so I'm happy. =) But I'm also super tired, so I'm in a strange mood right now (if anything in the chapter seems wonky, that's why). _

_Without further ado, here is the next chappie of "Always."_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Lloyd found himself inexplicably lost. He'd spent the night thinking about how he'd handled the shipwreck. His best friend had died and he went over the endless scenarios of how things could have gone differently.

_I could have gone back, why didn't I? _Lloyd asked himself. He turned over on his side to face the trees, looking away from his slumbering friends and family. So this is what loss felt like. He couldn't imagine the exact emotions related to loss until now and he now fully understood why Astrid was so protective of Autumn.

Sure, he knew what it meant to be a parent and to want to protect someone he cared about, but not until this moment did he grasp how much it hurt. He wondered how Astrid had lived with this kind of pain for fifteen years and how she still managed to keep going despite the fact that Autumn was now dead as well.

There was nothing anyone could do or say to him that would erase the pain or the guilt. No matter how many times Gutlout assured Lloyd that Autumn's death was as much his fault as Lloyd's. Or Fishlegs tellin his son that the sea had killed her and that Lloyd shouldn't blame himself, nothing felt comforting or soothing. His body still felt heavy and by now his injuries paled in comparison to the shivering the image of Autumn sliding down the deck and into the water caused.

It would appear in his mind when he least expected it to and would leave as soon as it came. But the damage would be done. He'd remember what it was that he was trying to forget. Something about knowing that the loss was real made him wish he was crazy so he could pretend it wasn't. The truth stung him, so he tried to convince himself throughout the night that he was in an everlasting nightmare and that everything everyone had said to him was a lie.

Then he'd feel the sharp pain in his shoulder and he'd realize once again that he was the one making up the lies. The truth was still there and always would be.

* * *

"Bring her about!" Autumn awoke to the loud shouting of the pirates on the deck above her. Fortunately she'd managed to sleep through most of the hubbub and was feeling infinitely better than she had in the past few days.

She slowly made her way up the stairs and peered around to see the pirates scrambling across the deck. "Oh, you're up!" She glanced up to see Riggs climbing down from the mast and dropped down right in front of her.

"I forgot to ask you your name when we first met," Riggs said with extending his hand, "I told you my name and completely forgot my manners." Autumn had to laugh at that.

"That would be my fault," She grasped his hand, "I'm Autumn."

"Miss Autumn, a pleasure to meet ya," Riggs was grinning so broadly that she could see the shape of his cheeks forming underneath the mask.

"Likewise," Autumn said with a smile. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Ask away," Riggs said, wiping his hands on his pants and folding his arms across his chest in patient anticipation.

"Why does everyone in these parts wear masks?" She asked. Riggs' brow went up and then he burst out laughing.

"Ha, ha, you're not the first to ask that," He shook his head, "Believe me, it's more than just a statement about being all inconspicuous and trying to look dangerous." Autumn's brow went up at that. "After we rescued a good amount of people from Dengar and other bandits, we realized that everyone we rescued was a part of our family. Some had lost their friends, family and homes to bandit raids. Others lost their entire identities."

Autumn watched Riggs' eyes as he said 'family.' For a moment they filled with a certain distance and sadness before returning to their usual light quality. "Out of respect for everyone who didn't have somewhere to go anymore and to protect those that didn't want to be found by the bandits again, we all agreed to wear masks at all times when among those who weren't part of our crew."

Autumn nodded, "That makes sense."

"It's also because we didn't want the Boss to feel strangely that he was the one who really started that trend," Riggs said as his eyes drifted over to the bow of the boat where the Boss was standing, his hands clasped behind his back watching the waves out on the sea.

"I haven't been here as long as others, so if you really want to know about the Boss, you should ask Pug or Herzig," Riggs jerked pointed to a short pirate with, from what she could tell, a rounder face and soft hands.

"Wait, Herzig's not-?" She started. Riggs nodded.

"A child? Yes," Riggs' eyes grew dark as he watched the small pirate limp down the deck. "He was one of the first to join after the Boss was found or so I heard."

Autumn watched the boy limp a few paces before she heard a distinct _clunk _on the deck as one of his boots hit the boards. She frowned. "He has a metal limb?"

"You noticed," Riggs said with an approving nod. "He's not the only one." Riggs gestured around. "We have a wide assortment of people here. All of them come from different backgrounds and crafts. A few of us are blacksmiths and one a silversmith. They make prosthetic limbs and metal replacements since the amount of members losing limbs seemed to increase more and more as the bandits keep raiding villages."

Autumn grew more and more appalled by the stories that she'd been hearing about the bandits. It infuriated her that someone as young as Herzig was a victim of their crimes. Cruelty knew no bounds apparently. "Why doesn't anyone stop them?"

Riggs snorted, "What do you ya think we're tryin' to do here, Missy?" He straightened, "Not to be harsh or anythin' but we're all tryin' our hardest to combat these guys but it aint easy, ho no."

Autumn frowned, "Why, are there too many of them?"

Riggs shrugged, "Well, there are certainly enough bandit groups running amok to bring down a few villages but that's not the issue. If it were just about killing them, we'd have rid the lands of them already."

Autumn paused and then frowned, "Then you're trying to fight them without killing anyone?" She glanced around in her surprise and then faced Riggs again, "Whose idiotic idea was that?"

"The Boss's," Riggs looked over at the leader as he approached. Riggs made a sharp salute. "All set to sail, Boss."

"Good, The Boss said with a nod, "Take her out." Riggs saluted again.

"Aye, aye, Sir!" He then rushed off, leaving Autumn to awkwardly stand there as the Boss looked her over with a raised eyebrow.

"Idiotic, hmm?" His voice sounded more amused than angry and Autumn soon found herself looking at what she could see of his face. She still couldn't tell what color his eyes were, but she could tell they were gentle and in no way hostile.

"I shouldn't have judged you so quickly. It's better that you don't kill anyone," Autumn said and averted her eyes.

"Many disagree with my methods, but I truly believe in avoiding violence at all costs," He sighed deeply. "Though of late it has become increasingly difficult to avoid all conflicts."

"That's because not everyone thinks like you do," Autumn pointed out. "You could have killed Dengar, why didn't you?"

"I couldn't," The Boss said and she could hear the hesitation and pain in his tone as he spoke.

"Why?" She demanded and when he didn't answer she pressed him, "That's not an answer, Bossy Pants."

His brow went up at that, "That's a new one."

"Yeah, well, calling you 'Boss' seems pretty stupid to me," Autumn said with a roll of her eyes.

"Duly noted," The Boss said. She scowled at him.

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook. I want to know why you wouldn't kill a scumbag like Dengar," Autumn asked. "After all he's done to you, by Thor, he should be dead."

"I wouldn't kill someone just because of something he's done to me," The Boss replied plainly and in a solemnly serious tone. Apparently she'd struck a nerve because his eyes were dark now.

"Then why would you kill someone if you had to?" Autumn asked, standing her ground. She felt like she was getting somewhere with this argument, even if it wasn't in the way she would have liked to approach him about his opinions.

"If I had to?" His eyes lit with a disturbed sort of fear. There Autumn saw something going on behind the scenes. There was a past behind those eyes and behind his question. She was slowly beginning to scrape the surface of whatever it was that he had forgotten.

"Yes, as in your entire life and identity depended on it," She questioned. There was a pregnant pause before he slowly shook his head.

"I wouldn't do it," He said firmly. "No matter what it was, nothing is worth killing for."

"What about dying for?" Autumn asked. The Boss looked down at her for a moment.

"You are asking some harsh questions for someone your age," He observed. "And yes, sometimes there are things that we must make sacrifices for." With that he turned on his heel and headed back to the bow of the ship, calling out orders as the ship headed on a straight course for lands still deeply hidden in the mist.

* * *

Lloyd managed to sleep some before he sat up abruptly and walked to a small clearing where he stood, looking up at the canopy of stars above him. The trees swayed in the breeze, rustling their leaves and then all was quiet. Lloyd folded his arms across his chest, hugging them close to his chest to keep what little warmth he could find around him.

"I wish I was stronger," Lloyd muttered to himself.

"We all do," Lloyd turned, feeling surprise and guilt well up in him at the sight of Astrid. She walked over to where Lloyd stood and gazed up at the sky. "It's beautiful. My mother used to tell me stories about how the constellations were created," Astrid smiled, sitting down on the ground and gestured for him to join her. Lloyd obliged but continued to tighten himself up into a ball.

"How do you do it?" Astrid turned her head, curiously examining Lloyd as he continued to stare blankly at the ground.

"What?"

"Keep going," Lloyd asked. "You lost your husband and now your only daughter, how do you keep going?"

"How or why?" Astrid gave him a wistful smile. He raised his head a little but said nothing as he nodded. "How, I just do. Life is meant to be lived, no matter how hard or easy it might be. Why, because I still have things to live for," She turned her head to the stars, "I have friends on Berk and family that wait for me there. If I just gave up, they would be in the same situation as I."

Lloyd stared at Astrid with amazement and wonderment in his eyes, "I couldn't do that." She frowned at him.

"You're only fifteen, Lloyd, you're too young to think in definite terms," Astrid said sternly. He shook his head.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I just lost my best friend before I even got to tell her…" Lloyd drifted off and averted his eyes to the ground. "I wouldn't be able to be myself without her."

Astrid's expression softened and she soon found herself looking at the fourteen year old Hiccup.

"_You said wouldn't that time," Astrid said. _

"_Whatever! I wouldn't kill a dragon. 300 hundred years and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon."_

"_First to ride one though," Astrid had pointed out._

She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to feel so hopeless while the world around her was falling apart. But she could never forget fully what it felt like to see Toothless curled up the ground with the broken saddle and straps hanging loosely about him without his rider anywhere in sight. Then the wings unfurled themselves and revealed Hiccup's unconscious, yet breathing body. He was alive.

For Lloyd, there would be no solace. Autumn was gone and Astrid fully understood what that felt like. She had feared once that she'd never get to tell Hiccup how she felt and Lloyd, unlike Astrid, really wouldn't get the chance now. She placed a hand on his shoulder and felt clearly the trembling as he began to cry.

As someone who hadn't been so open with her emotions and had frowned upon those who were, Astrid couldn't understand why anyone would want to be up front about their feelings. Feelings were trivial and irrelevant to being a Viking as far as she was concerned. People couldn't win a fight with emotions or feelings. The only weapons one could use were tangible and lethal.

Feelings were distracting and she knew it well enough that she stayed clear of anything related to emotions. She hadn't wanted a boyfriend and until her flight with Hiccup and Toothless, she didn't want to fall in love either. But once she had, it was probably her sole reason for staying strong and courageous over the years following the battle with the Green Death.

Hiccup had, in a strange reversal of logic, become _her _rock. No more was he the scrawny screw-up village idiot who couldn't think beyond trying not to trip over his own feet. Hiccup had become an upstanding man and the Chief of the tribe. He'd lead hunting trips, he had become a skilled healer of dragons and was a steadfast and loyal friend to everyone he met. No more would Astrid worry about having someone to support her in the rare moments she did need someone, because Hiccup was there. He was in many respects, the best friend anyone could ask for.

For all it was worth, Astrid knew he would have been the best father in the village as well. Hiccup had an infinite amount of love to share and he was wise beyond his years when he needed to be. Yes, Hiccup would have made a great father.

She looked over at Lloyd, who was sullenly staring at the ground again. It probably seemed hard for Lloyd to understand now, but life went on and even the hardest moments would soon pass and things would change. Yes, loss would always hurt, but it would make one stronger and wiser for it.

"What is lost, is never meant to be found to begin with," Astrid said calmly, "Because if we never lost anything, we'd never know anything was there in the first place."

Lloyd turned his head, once again stunned and turned into silent meditation over her words. After a minute or two, he slowly began to nod. A smile crossed his face and he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Yeah."

* * *

Night fell once again on the pirate ship _Nightwish _and the stars dotted the blue sky as the waves gently rocked the ship as it cruised through the smooth waters.

The creak of floorboards as a figure made his way across the ship, walking up the stairs and standing out on the deck for a few minutes to let the cool air wash over his face. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the water. The waves were far too gentle for his tastes. Something about the calm of the sea bothered him. He could never place why that was. Most of the pirates on board thought that it was a blessing when the sea wasn't trying to swallow them up, but something at away at this figure when it was calm.

He'd seen the dragon briefly during the rescue but he was troubled by how unusual it was. Without another glance backwards, he made his way back down the stairs, stepping lightly. His boots made little noise as he walked, except for the occasional creak of wood. No one would notice.

He pushed the door to the storage room open with a low groan and he walked inside, not quite sure why he was entering this room at such an odd hour of the night. Maybe he was so tired he couldn't think straight. Yes, that was probably it.

He turned on his heel to exit only to see two bright yellowy green eyes peering at him out of the darkness. He backed away slowly and fell backwards over a crate and hit the floor with a thud. The dragon slowly stepped into the light cast by the window. His black scale shone brightly and glinted in a dazzling array of bluish black. He truly was like the night sky. The dragon sniffed the figure and he reached out hesitantly, averting his eyes. A moment passed where neither moved and the figure felt something press up against his palm. He turned his head to look at the dragon who was gazing at the figure with an equal amount of curiosity, yet calm resolve. The nose was so warm and gentle. It was nothing like how the other dragons he had encountered had felt.

He stood up slowly, making sure to not make any sudden movements. He reached out and once again touched the dragon's head. This time something flashed through his mind and he tumbled back again. The dragon gave a low whine of concern and made to run to him when something moved in between, pushing the dragon back and then turning around to face him.

The figure took a second to catch his breath, taking in the person as her golden yellow hair glowed from the light of the window. Her eyes drilled into his.

"Ast… Astrid?" He questioned. The person turned around fully and folded her arms across her chest.

"My name's Autumn," She stated, "Now tell me how you know my mother's name and why Toothless wasn't afraid of you."

**A/N- Heh, heh, heh. =) More answers, yet more questions. Stayed tuned for the next one! **


	10. The Words Beneath the Veil

**Chapter 9**

**The Words Beneath the Veil**

_A/N- So by now most of you have figured out who the Boss is and if you haven't, you're about to find out. =) As this is a big part in this fic, I didn't want to rush the build up to it and I wanted to write the moment where Autumn really sees the truth well. It took me a while to figure out how to write it and I hope everyone enjoyed it. _

_Of course, all my chapters will be revised again at some point in the future. I already made some small changes to two of the other chapters (small but crucial). Any feedback or constructive critique is welcome. _

_Also, I'm going to put up a poll on my profile for the best OC in "Fly Away Home" and "Always." You can vote for two characters. I'll post the final results for the poll in the last chapter of "Always." _

_Good luck to all characters and may the best OC win! (Of course, the choice is up to you guys, so I'm interested in seeing what you think). _

_Well, I think that about covers any announcements and stuff I have to put in this note. _

_Huzzah! _

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

For what seemed like an eternity neither Autumn nor the leader of the pirates said anything. They simply stared at one another, the Boss half standing and half pushing himself off the ground, frozen on the spot. Autumn stood firmly, not letting her eyes leave the Boss's.

After it became clear that neither was going to speak, Toothless nudged Autumn's hand. "Why did you call me Astrid?" She said finally. The Boss continued to stare at her silently before he slowly pushed himself off the floor, causing one of his legs to wobble in a way that struck Autumn as odd. She'd noticed the Boss's awkward and unstable gait before, but it was only now that she realized it was the same as Herzig's. She'd seen how Gobber walked, or hop-stepped his way around Berk. She knew a prosthetic walk when she saw one.

"Your leg, it's a prosthetic, isn't it?" Autumn questioned. The Boss's eyes met hers and for a moment it seemed as though he wasn't going to answer from his slightly rotated stance. Instead he heaved himself up and his left leg hit the ground with a distinct _thunk. _"How did you lose it?"

His expression, from what she could see of his face, was stony and almost forlorn in some ways, "I don't know."

"The bandits didn't do that to you?" Autumn asked. He shook his head.

"My leg was like this before I ran into the bandits," Autumn glanced down at the leg. He sure seemed to have more ease with the leg than some of the people she'd seen who had just lost limbs. Herzig certainly seemed new to his. She nodded. For some reason everything was falling into place. Why he'd been so secretive and elusive. Something had happened in his past that he couldn't remember and it had a lot, if not everything, to do with his missing leg.

"Your nightmare," Autumn began again, "It's about losing your leg, isn't it." It wasn't a question and his guarded eyes told her that she'd hit the nail on the head.

"I don't really understand it," He said quietly, averting his gaze. It's just the same image over and over again. She noticed the shiver and the nervous glance off to the side that he had after he finished talking. Whatever he'd seen might have caused him to lose his memories. But that was for a later time. Right now she still had a more pressing question to get the answer to.

"Just how do you know my mother's name?" Autumn said, fixating him with a hard stare.

"The only images I have of my past are of three things: a monster, a black dragon," His eyes rested on Toothless as he spoke and then he looked right at Autumn, "Of a woman who looks like you."

"And her name is Astrid?" Autumn questioned, feeling herself tense slightly at the implications that this pirate, whoever he was, knew her mother. It could mean a million and one things, but she, as someone who was often overly cautious when necessary, assumed the worst. He might have hurt Toothless and her in some way and maybe the monster was part of that plot. Autumn frowned.

"It's the only name I remember," The Boss said, rubbing his arm tentatively. "I've asked all those in my crew if they knew anyone by that name, but no one did, so I decided to let it be."

Autumn shifted slightly, but didn't let her gaze falter, "Yeah, well, now you've found her daughter, so tell me what you _do _know."

The Boss scrutinized Autumn for a second and then frowned a little, "Your eyes are a different color than Astrid's."

"I told you, I'm her daughter," Autumn replied. Was this guy an idiot? How many times did she have to say she wasn't Astrid to make him understand that she and her mother weren't the same. A smile crossed his face.

"From what I saw in my images, you and Astrid have the same stubborn stance," He smiled. Once again Autumn shifted, this time feeling oddly self conscious under his studious gaze. "But you're not the same." Autumn noticed the light that entered his eyes and for the first time saw that they were a rich green color.

"Of course we're not," Autumn replied defensively. "I'm Autumn Haddock and she's Astrid Haddock. We're two completely different people." She was getting tired of running in this circle of obvious statements and questions. She fixated him with a hard stare. She wasn't getting clear enough information to draw any conclusions as to who this man was, but she could tell from his tone when he spoke of Astrid that they had probably been good friends to say the least.

"What else do you remember?" Autumn asked, trying for a second round of probing. When she was this close to getting to the truth, she wasn't willing to back down or be gentle with her questions. If she couldn't get through to him, the only other options were drastic. She remembered when she and Lloyd were younger, he had fallen out of a tree and hit his head hard enough that for a few days he couldn't remember who he was.

After a while of trying to jog his memory, she had shoved him out of his chair in the dining hall in frustration. Surprisingly the shock of hitting his head had caused him to regain his memories. She'd asked the healer in Berk about that and she'd told Autumn that often a shock of some kind could help to cure amnesia. At the time, Autumn hadn't really understood fully what amnesia was, but over time she'd found that shock or a situation that jogged a memory of the previous trauma would often bring back the lost memories.

Since she didn't know what exactly had caused this man to lose his memory, she couldn't help him with the shock part, but she could certainly bug the living daylights out of him until he remembered something.

"I only remember those three images," The Boss replied, folding his arms across his chest. "You have no reason to care."

"You're an idiot," Autumn said, her expression turning to a dry 'I can't believe I'm stuck with trying to talk to you' look.

"Thank you," The Boss said with a scowl, "For summing that up." He said dryly in response. "Why do you want to know who I am so badly?"

"I don't know," Autumn said with a sigh, "And frankly, if I did, this would be a heck of a lot easier on both of us." For a second she stared at him and then paused. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Why do you want to know who I am so badly," He repeated. She shook her head.

"No, before that," She now found her stomach doing some crazy twisting into knots as she tried hard not to let herself get worked up.

"Thank you for summing that up?" He offered. She nodded, now silent. This was an odd coincidence, if anything. His words were eerily similar to the ones she'd used on Astrid whenever they fought, which was frequently enough. They were so specific to Autumn's personality, yet every time Autumn had said those words, her mother had cringed or fallen silent. Sometimes Astrid would even hesitate to respond when Autumn said them. For the longest time Autumn wondered why that was and also used those words when she wanted to end a conversation early.

Now it struck her as strange that someone else had said those exact words in the same dry tone. "I say that too." He paused and then stared curiously at Autumn.

"Those exact words?"

"Word for word," Autumn affirmed. The Boss swallowed hard and then grimaced. "What?" Autumn questioned.

"It's something I remember," He licked his lips and bit his lip. "It's the only other thing I remember are those words." Autumn clenched and unclenched her fists, growing fidgety with each passing minute. There was something she had to know. It was the only thing that could confirm her suspicions.

"That monster…" Autumn said slowly, she had to force herself to look him in the face. "What did it look like?"

He was silent. She could see the fear and haunted vulnerability in his eyes. Finally he reached over to the back of his head and slowly the wrap around his head slid down onto the floor in a coiled pile.

"It was a massive green dragon."

* * *

"_Pug!" The man turned his head at the sound of his voice. The deck was littered with the bodies of the bandits who were unable to jump ship and escape the wrath of their former prisoners. "One's still alive!" The blonde haired man with haunted grey eyes and a rough beard crossed over to the stairway and clomped down them, still holding on to his sword. He sheathed it as soon as his feet touched down on the floor of the brig. _

"_Here," Pug walked over to his companion and kneeled next to the prisoner. He was barely breathing straight and his eyes were wide with shock. He wouldn't stop shaking. Pug's insides boiled. His eyes went to the prisoner's leg. It stopped short, leaving a stump in its place. _

"_Did they do this?" Pug asked the prisoner. He steadied himself._

"_N-no, I don't remember how…" After that the prisoner shivered once more and fell limp in Pug's arms. He felt the prisoner's heartbeat and was relieved that someone would at least live past the torment of the bandits. _

_There were scars up and down the prisoner's arms, his remaining leg and from the torn tunic, Pug noticed a few jagged scars that ran along the prisoner's back. The bandits were not known for being merciful or reasonable in their treatment of prisoners. _

"_Let's get him out of here," Pug said firmly. More pirates appeared at the stairs and came down to help carry the unconscious prisoner. Because he'd survived, he would know more about Dengar and his crew than anyone else, that is if he remembered anything when he woke up. _

_Pug wasn't optimistic about the remembering part. There were a few pirates on his ship already who didn't remember a thing and sometimes that was for the best. But from the looks of this prisoner Pug could tell that this man, whoever he was, had a past. He had a life somewhere outside of the Land of the Mist. No matter what it took, Pug wasn't going to let this man lose his entire past just because Dengar decided to be cruel to anyone he met. _

"_I promise you," Pug whispered, "You will return."_

_

* * *

_

"Ready to go?" Gutlout stood behind Lloyd as he looked out at the forest from the shoreline. Somehow he'd felt better after talking to Astrid, but he still felt a heaviness on his heart that he was sure would never pass.

"Yeah," He heaved and then turned his back to the forest, to the sea and closed his eyes to the pain that filled him. "I'm ready." He strode across the sand and after a moment, Gutlout followed in his friend's wake to the ship where their parents waited.

* * *

Autumn's legs gave way and she sunk to the floor. She couldn't believe that she'd gone in endless circles in search of something she was sure wasn't there to begin with. Had Lloyd known all along that this was going to happen?

"What's wrong?" The Boss walked over, touching her shoulder gently. Without a warning she leaped at him and buried her face in his shirt. He stood there shocked for a moment and then gently put his arms around her. "Are you alright, Autumn?"

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Yeah," She said, straightening. "More than ever."

He looked at her questioningly and after a moment he looked horrified, "I'm sorry, did my face remind you of something?"

Autumn felt a smile tug across her face, "Actually, yes, it did." She then took in his appearance once again. He was exactly like her mother had described, right down to the warm green eyes and boyish face. After a moment, he smiled and that was what confirmed it for her.

That smile was what her mother talked about the most. The toothy grin that Toothless always tried to imitate and caused Autumn to laugh without even realizing how tied to her heritage it was.

"I'm sorry," He said, letting the smile slip from his face. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories of your father."

Autumn waved her hand, "Seeing as I don't have any, that's not possible." She folded her arms across her chest. "This is my first."

His eyes blinked, not comprehending. "Did I miss something?" Autumn opened her mouth and then shut it, deciding that she would tell him when the time was right. For now, she was happy that she'd finally found what she'd been looking for.

"No, you didn't," She said with a shake of her head, "I'm tired, I'm going to go to bed." He nodded silently and picked up his head wrapping and rewrapped it around his head before turning to face her once more.

"Good night, Autumn," He said. She smiled and gave him a quick hug before leaving the room.

"Night," She said with a smile and as she passed through the doorway, she cast a glance over her shoulder and whispered a word that seemed as quiet as the wind. "Dad."

**A/N- Well, there ya go! Mystery solved. What's up next? Find out in the next chapter! =) **


	11. Of Ships and Lost Souls

**Chapter 10**

**Of Ships and Lost Souls**

_A/N- So it's official, Folks! Hiccup's back and he's finally met his daughter. Whoop!_

_This should be interesting. *Grins evilly*_

_Don't pay attention to the little person (AKA Don) behind the curtain (she's crazy). _

_=D_

_-Don ^_^_

_PS- Don't forget to vote in the OC poll on my profile! _

_

* * *

_

"Okay, let's go over this again," Autumn said, clasping her hands together.

"Should I be worried about this?" Hiccup asked, eyeing Autumn dubiously.

"No, now shut up," Autumn replied and continued to stare her father down. "You remember Astrid, the giant green dragon and Toothless," She looked sideways at the Night Fury, who perked up at the sound of his name.

"Yes," He scrutinized her for a moment. "Are you sure you're not Astrid?"

"No, why?" Autumn demanded. They were sitting on the floor of Hiccup's office on board the ship. Autumn had insisted, after spending the night trying to figure out how to get her father to remember his past, that they have another long conversation where she'd attempt to jog his memory with little tidbits about his life.

"Because from the little I do remember, Astrid would always tell me to shut up," Hiccup said. Autumn rolled her eyes.

"I can't imagine why," She straightened. "Okay, how about this," She held up her pointer finger. "Fishlegs."

"Who?"

"Never mind," Autumn groaned. "Do you remember the name of your ship?"

"What ship?" Hiccup questioned, narrowing his eyes. Autumn shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal. This was going nowhere and fast.

"Okay," She ran her hand over her face in frustration, "Do you remember how you met Astrid?"

"No, I just remember her face and name," Hiccup replied. Autumn wondered how hurt her mother would be if she'd heard Hiccup say that about her. Having him back but without his memories was almost like having him die all over again.

"Why do you remember her face and name?" Autumn asked. "There's got to be a reason if she's the one you remember."

Hiccup stared at Autumn for a second, "Mind if I ask _you_ something?" Autumn paused, surprised at his sudden break from their question and answer session and nodded.

"Who was your father?"

Autumn felt her mouth go dry and she wondered if she should say. Maybe if she said his name, he might remember something. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

Hiccup stared at her for a few second and then said, "What was he like?"

"I told you, he was dead before I was born," Autumn said irritably, "All I know is what my mother told me."

"That's still something," Hiccup pointed out. She grunted and relented much to her annoyance.

"He was a screw-up and a massive idiot for most of his life and then he became a hero," Autumn said, reciting the well learned story from memory. "He was the first Viking to discover that dragons weren't bad and that we didn't need to kill them and he l…" She caught herself before talking about Hiccup's leg. For some reason she wasn't sure about telling Hiccup that he was her father just yet. Especially when he was so confused and distraught at the moment, it might cause him more pain to know the truth, no matter how much Autumn really wanted to tell him.

"I'm sure if he were alive, he'd love to hear you speak so highly of him," Hiccup said in a dry tone, but he was still smiling. It hurt so much to see that smile when Autumn knew that her mother was somewhere far away on Berk, still mourning over Hiccup's death. It would have been easier if he'd remembered who he was. Then again, his loss of memory explained why he hadn't come home in fifteen years.

He didn't remember where home was. He didn't remember Berk, Fishlegs, Snotlout, his father, or his own name. Hiccup only remembered the image of Toothless, Astrid and what she looked like and a vague image of the Green Death.

That was all Autumn had to work with for getting her father to remember who he was.

"Odin help me."

* * *

Lloyd could only watch in solemn silence as his father went to talk to Stoick on Astrid's behalf since she was absent from the public since returning to Berk. Lloyd could only imagine the conversation was going to crushing. Fifteen years ago, Fishlegs had gone to inform the Chief that his only son, Hiccup, had died in shipwreck. Now Fishlegs had to tell the former Chief that his only granddaughter was also dead.

Fishlegs didn't blame Astrid for not wanting to talk about it anymore. He had a hard time not looking over at her while they sailed. She'd spent the entire trip leaning against the railing and looking out at the sea.

With Toothless missing and Hiccup and Autumn dead, Astrid Haddock was a lonely widow. Her parents were still alive, but even they could offer no consolation to their daughter.

It was the worst Winter ever. Lloyd could attest to that as he'd been through some of the worst Winters Berk had seen in a long time. Two Winters ago, the Ingerman family had lost both of Fishlegs' parents to illness. Fishlegs had been devastated and only the presence of Ruffnut and his kids had kept him going.

Now Berk would go through another painful Winter. One without Autumn and the village's beloved Night Fury.

Lloyd couldn't tell what was keeping him going. It certainly wasn't his family. As much as he loved his brother and sister and parents, they were only a small solace. He knew that he was surviving on the last ounces of his strength. He sighed and patted Waves' neck. Maybe Waves was a reason why Lloyd hadn't given up just yet. Or maybe he didn't know what else to do but slowly drag himself through each minute.

It irked him that he didn't even realize how deeply embedded into his life Autumn had been until it was too late. That was really what was killing him. He couldn't imagine why he hadn't noticed it. _Probably because I took it for granted that she'd always be there_, He thought.

Waves moaned and nudged his friend with his nose. Lloyd smiled and rubbed the dragon under his jaw. "I don't know, Waves. What should I do?" The dragon lifted his head and looked right into Lloyd's eyes. Waves was so sharply perceptive about Lloyd's feelings that he wondered sometimes if Waves really wasn't equally, if not more, intelligent than humans. From what his parents had taught him about dragons, they certainly weren't the stupid beasts that the Vikings of old thought they were.

Waves nudged Lloyd again and turned his head to point in the direction of the harbor. "Leave?" The dragon inclined his head. "We can't. We just got here." Waves growled.

"But we have no reason to go anywhere else," Lloyd argued. But his dragon was already on his feet and lumbering toward the harbor. "Waves!" He ran after his dragon and only stopped when he saw Astrid standing on the dock, blocking the way with her arms folded across her chest.

"Just where do you think you're going?" She demanded. Lloyd felt himself shift uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Waves wanted to go on one of the ships," Lloyd explained, glaring at his companion, who snorted indignantly.

"Don't you think this village has lost enough to not go off on another foolish quest?" Astrid asked. Lloyd winced. Her comment stung. The quest hadn't started out entirely foolish. It had just ended badly and that was his fault.

"What if," He began, "What if they're both out there, alive?" Astrid's gaze never left Lloyd's and her expression softened a little.

"Lloyd," She said, "I know you're still hurting because Autumn's dead, but we can't risk losing you as well."

"She could be alive though!" Lloyd said. Astrid sighed and shook her head.

"As someone who waited fifteen years, telling herself that same thing, I know it's a lost cause," Astrid replied and walked over to Lloyd, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go home. You don't want to worry your parents again." Astrid then continued on, leaving Lloyd to stare down at the ground. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white and he dug his boots into the ground.

"You just don't want to face again because you're afraid!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself and Astrid turned around, her blue eyes narrowing at him. "You… you just don't want to admit that you're still hoping that he's out there somewhere."

Astrid looked at for a few minutes and then said, "Even if he is, why hasn't he come home? If he was alive, he'd have come home by now."

"You don't know that," Lloyd said. "I'm not willing to wait here until my life gets better. I'm going to make it better." He turned on his heel and headed back to the docks. Astrid sighed.

"Wait, Lloyd," She said and gripped his shoulder. "We're going to need a crew to get anywhere," and for what seemed like the first time, she smiled.

* * *

Autumn woke that night to the sound of shouting from the deck and immediately rolled off her makeshift bed, pulled on her boots and rushed to the deck. Upon reaching it she saw the source of the shouting.

A massive ship with flames licking through its framework and body was sailing on a straight course for the _Nightwish. _

"Don't stand up here!" She felt something roughly grab her arm and she was dragged back to the stern.

"Stay there and if the flames get too close, jump," Autumn found herself looking at her father like he was nuts. They had only known each other for a few days as already she was absolutely certain that he was out of his mind. Here they were, about to be hit by a fire ship and he was telling her to stay away?

"I want to help," Autumn stated plainly, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"You're not getting any say in this," Hiccup stated.

"Why?" Autumn asked.

"Because I'm the captain of this ship and you're to do what I say," Hiccup replied firmly. She heard a low growl and both their heads swiveled to see Toothless glaring at the flaming ship as it grew closer.

"Get on Toothless and fly away from here," Hiccup said and shoved her in the direction of the Night Fury.

"Why, so you can die again?" She demanded. Hiccup went silent and he stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean 'again?'" He asked. Autumn shook her head.

"Forget what I said," She made to mount Toothless but Hiccup's hand caught her. His eyes were desperate.

"No, tell me," He said, "What did you mean by 'again'?" Autumn tried to avert her eyes and pull her arm from his grip, but it was like iron.

"Incoming!" All the crew members hit the deck as the flaming ship smashed into the hull of the _Nightwish. _

Autumn was thrown off to the side and Toothless screeched in shock as both masts tangled with one another. A loud crack sounded through the night and the flaming ship's mast crashed down onto the deck of its target.

**A/N- The plot thickens. I'll try to get another chapter up this weekend, but I'm not making any guarantees. Thanks for reading! =) **

**

* * *

Thanks to the following people for their support:**

**DannysGhostWriter**

**Ducklin**


	12. Declarations and Explorations

**Chapter 11**

**Declarations and Explorations**

_A/N- Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I updated my Star Wars fan fiction (that's how into writing this fic I've been). That usually doesn't happen since my SW fan fiction has been my main focus on FFN since I joined. I guess that says something for how cool my readers are too. =)_

**Star- **Well, the whole mysteriousness was supposed to throw you off (but not necessarily hurt your brain, so I apologize for that). But yes, Hiccup is back so the only thing left that could hurt your brain is how Autumn is going to get her father to remember.

_I just watched an amazing animated film called "Millennium Actress" directed by the awesome Japanese director Satoshi Kon. It was amazing. I love my anime club. =)_

_Well, enough of my babbling. I decided that I'd try to get one last chapter in (yes, I know I said the previous one would be the "last one" but hey, I don't think anyone will be upset by another posting). _

_On to the chapter! Charge!_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Hiccup leaped off to the side as one of the pieces of wood from the broken mast fell down. It set yet another piece of the deck on fire and he narrowly avoided being set on fire himself. He looked around and heard a low whine from nearby. He whirled around to see Toothless nudging the fallen mast and looking at Hiccup with desperate eyes.

He walked around the flames and immediately bolted over when he saw why Toothless was looking so distraught. "Autumn!" Hiccup dropped down to get a better look at the girl's predicament. The mast had fallen on top of her leg and the other was awkwardly stretched off to the side. It seemed as though she had been trying to get out of the way, but only have succeeded.

"This is too heavy for me to lift," Hiccup said and in spite of himself leaned down to try to push the fallen piece of the mast off Autumn. It didn't budge. Hiccup muttered curses under his breath and then winced as some of the fire licked at him from behind. He then stripped off his jacket and threw it on the flames, stamping on it until they went out. It wasn't much, but at least it would keep some of the flames away. He then knelt down again.

"Toothless," He said, "I need you to help me push." The dragon moaned dubiously, but Hiccup shook his head. "Just grab hold and lift it up." Somehow Hiccup knew that because teeth in general were the strongest part of the human body, that dragon teeth were ten times stronger. They wouldn't break under immense amounts of weight. Hiccup grasped Autumn's hand. The girl was half conscious and sweating profusely. He eased his hand arms around her and nodded to Toothless.

"Ready, one, two, three!" Toothless clenched down on the mast and lifted it up for a fraction of a second. In that short time, Hiccup moved Autumn out of the way right before the mast came back down on the floor, crashing through it. Water sprayed up from below and Hiccup felt the heat rising around him once more. It was time to abandon ship.

"Boss, we have to get out of here!" Pug yelled. Riggs was already ushering the crew toward the few tiny lifeboats that were squeezed onto the ship. Hiccup shifted so that Autumn was cradled up against him securely. "You guys need to get off first. Take the wounded and then go. If I'm not ready, you leave without me, understood?"

"Boss," Pug said with a sharp scowl, "With all due respect, you are not the Captain."

Hiccup frowned in confusion and then felt two hands shove him forward into one of the lowering lifeboats. "The captain will see to it that everyone gets away." Pug stated. Hiccup had almost forgotten that Pug was officially the captain of the ship, while Hiccup was the leader of the pirates on most raids. Hiccup's green eyes fixated on Pug as the boat jerked and then began to go down to the water. The flaming ship crackled and more fire spread across the deck of the _Nightwish. _

"Pug, come on!" Hiccup yelled. The man pushed two more members of the crew into the boat before going back and carrying the last wounded pirate over. As soon as the pirate was passed into the arms of his fellow pirates, Pug turned around to check for any more survivors.

The ship crackled again and one of the floorboards creaked and Pug looked over, his eyes wide as he attempted to step forward. The board snapped and the man went down as water came up and flooded the decks. The ship creaked and reared up. The pirates hurriedly lowered themselves into the water and began rowing away from the sinking ships. With one final tip upwards, the _Nighwish _went under.

Hiccup's eyes continued to flicker with the flames still lingering on the pieces of driftwood. He held Autumn tightly to him and felt the sobering pain fill him. Pug had gone down with the ship. For the life of him, Hiccup couldn't remember why this felt so familiar. Why would a sinking ship and a dying captain feel so eerily familiar.

"Boss," Riggs' shaky voice broke Hiccup's reverie. Riggs looked completely shattered. He and Pug had been close friends every since Riggs joined the crew of the _Nightwish. _"Where do we go?" Hiccup sucked in his breath and then sighed as quietly as he could. He had to get his crew to safety.

"Back to the main island," Hiccup said. The pirates all had a general group of villages they resided in when not traveling at sea and they had more ships in the harbor there as well as supplies. It was the right place to go now. The crew was worn out.

"Right," Riggs said and began to relay orders in a sobered monotone voice. Hiccup felt for the man as Pug had been a friend to everyone on the _Nightwish._ Pug had been the main reason Hiccup had begun leading raids on the bandits and stayed on with the pirates. He could only hope that the crew would hold together without Pug.

He turned his attention away from the sea for a moment and looked down at Autumn. She had fallen asleep in his arms and he looked over at her leg. It was irreparably broken from what he could tell and he was sure that she wouldn't be walking for a while. Why had things suddenly become so complicated since her arrival? All of a sudden there were questions that he was forced to consider that hadn't even occurred to him needed answering. Yet, there was a sense of rightness to it all.

Even Pug's death had struck Hiccup in a way that he hadn't expected. There was the devastation and hurt of course but there was a feeling like it had reminded him of something he truly wanted to remember. It brought up a feeling of trust and friendship, of companionship. Something he hadn't really felt much of outside of the necessary connections. But now he was attached to his crew and to Autumn, a girl he knew despite his never having met her before.

She was another reminder that he wouldn't have welcomed before, but now he wanted to. He felt responsible for keeping her safe somehow. It went beyond the fact that he had rescued her and that she knew the woman he knew to be Astrid.

He then closed his eyes for a second only to see the green dragon flash before his eyes again. This time it didn't stop at the moment where it burst forth from the mountain. It kept going and set an entire fleet of ships on fire. His view of the scene was different this time. He was above it and he could hear himself yelling something, orders. He was yelling orders to some people flying around on other dragons. Then his orders commanded him around and for the first time he saw what he was riding on. It was Toothless and he turned around to see the face of a blonde haired girl.

It was Astrid. She was much younger, but he knew her face anywhere. It was so familiar. He heard a low moan. Toothless was resting his head partially on Hiccup's knee. He reached over with his free hand and scratched the dragon under his jaw. The dragon purred and then his eyes closed and he began to snore blissfully. Toothless and Astrid were both from his past. That much he knew. The scene he'd seen just now was much too vivid to have been imagined or fabricated. It was real. That was a memory.

He looked down at Autumn. Maybe she had the answers to all the questions welling up in his mind. This time, he'd be the one asking.

* * *

Lloyd kept a steady lookout as the ship cruised through the sea. It had taken a good deal of convincing on Astrid's part to get Ruffnut and Fishlegs to let their son go off on another quest. Fishlegs had insisted on coming along, but Ruffnut had stopped him because the crew was already full.

It was surprising how many Vikings had volunteered to come along, including Snotlout and Tuffnut. The two were in competition to see who could be of more use on the journey and it was annoying Astrid to the brink of insanity.

Lloyd let the breeze gently push his bangs in and out of his face as he watched the waves. It was soothing somehow to be out here doing something rather than staying on Berk where he knew he'd be restless and inactive because of the hurt he was feeling. Here on the sea he could imagine a future beyond what he knew to be the truth.

He had to find some closure. Whether that meant accepting Autumn's death or finding her alive, he had to know what the truth was. _Thor give me courage. _

_

* * *

_The lifeboats pulled up on the shore to the shouts of other pirates from the village. Hiccup was greeted by the angry growling voice of one of the other captains.

"They were just here!" He snarled. Hiccup stiffened as he looked past the other captain to the bodies that littered the ground and the smoke billowing from some of the houses. "The bilge rat thought he could raid us and get away with it!" The captain waved another pirate over and he presented the captain with a sword. "This is a declaration!" He raised his sword above his head, "We're taking the fight to their shores and to their sea by the gods!"

Hiccup frowned, "Don't you think you're being a bit hasty?"

"Hasty?" The captain spat, his scarred face scowled as it pulled up close to Hiccup's. He could see the heat rising off the man's cheeks. He was furious. "My crew has been reduced to ten and from the looks of your crew, you had another fire ship attack," He waved his hand; "The time for waiting has passed. Either you're with us or you're agin us."

Hiccup took a deep breath. He had been fearing for a long time that the other pirates would want to declare war on the bandits and their villages, but he'd hoped that it wouldn't be coming for a long while yet or better yet, wouldn't come at all. But it was clear that all the pirates were riled up and galvanized for battle. The captain, also known as Scarfin, had seen the worst carnage and blood between the pirates and the bandits for a long time. Hiccup took a deep breath and sighed.

"We will fight with you, Captain Scarfin," Hiccup said. The captain grinned and clapped Hiccup on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit, Boy!" The older captain lifted his sword and let out a loud warcry that was echoed among the other pirates.

"We'll feast up on ale and then tomorrow morning we set out for their damned shores!" The pirates cheered and rushed to grab their tankards. Something about this brought warm feelings of comfort to Hiccup. It was like he had come home to see everyone so unified and ready to raid on behalf of their friends and family. It was so familiar once again to something Hiccup couldn't quite put his finger on.

"You'd best get her treated, Boss," Riggs said in a quiet voice. Hiccup wouldn't have heard the man if Hiccup hadn't turned around at that moment. He nodded and watched as Riggs went to get a tankard. No doubt Riggs was going to drown his loss in ale and it hurt Hiccup to see his friend like that.

But there was nothing he could do, except fight to make sure something like this never happened again. Hiccup straightened and carried Autumn to the healing house. After making sure she was taken care of, he made his way to the circle of captains who were making battle plans.

Morning would bring more blood and hatred than Hiccup wanted to see. He had so many questions he wanted to ask Autumn, but he wasn't likely to get the chance now.

If he knew anything about declared fights against the bandits it was that the number of people lost far outnumbered those that survived on both sides.

* * *

**A/N- Next chapter- the beginning of the battle! =) **

**Thanks to the following people for supporting this story:**

**Star**

**Spottedfang**

**Kt2209**

**DannysGhostWriter**


	13. Battle of Words and Swords

**Chapter 12**

**Battle of Words and Swords**

_A/N- Well, I almost forgot that tomorrow is Plan Day (which at my college is basically the day that anyone who is sophomore or older has to go meet with their committee to decide on a "Plan" or self designed major). It also means that all classes are cancelled until 4PM because the professors are all meeting in Plan committees. _

_Since all my classes are in the morning tomorrow, I get to update! Yay!_

_Ever notice how sword and word are only different by one letter? That goes to show how violent words can be; just a thought seeing as that's the title of this chapter and that's something I'm exploring in it. _

_I just finished watching "Legend of the Bonenapper Dragon" on my double disc HTTYD DVD. =P So I'm happy and in a HTTYD giddy mood (actually that's all the time, but still). _

_Anyways, I'm not going to beat around the bush any more right now. No, seriously! _

_*Sigh* Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to prove I'm procrastinating the beginning of this chapter._

_See?_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Once again Hiccup found himself feeling an odd sense of déjà vu even though he didn't know why. Here he was, standing with his sword in his belt and clad in armor. All the pirates had gathered whatever weaponry and armor they could for their siege and still Hiccup felt like it wasn't going to be enough. They were vastly outnumbered and he couldn't be sure that any of his fellow pirates were going to be of any use during the fight because they were all driven by red hot anger and revenge.

He shifted his helmet in his hand and moved it so it was tucked into the crook of his arm. For the first time he wasn't wearing his mask and no one in his crew was either. Everyone had agreed that when they faced Dengar, they wanted him to see their faces as they exacted revenge. Hiccup had a bad feeling that they wouldn't be the ones looking their defeated foes in the face. But he was going to make sure that anyone that could survive, would.

"So you're leaving," Autumn's sobered tone caught Hiccup in his moment of resolve and immediately made him feel guilty for some reason. He still felt responsible for Autumn. Not that she was in bad hands. There were still a few healers staying behind and other wounded pirates to keep her company.

"We have to fight," Hiccup stated, though he didn't even quite believe what he was saying himself.

"Don't lie," Autumn said in a stern, yet concerned tone, "You're not the killing type."

"I'm a pirate, it's what we do," Hiccup stated firmly. Autumn shook her head.

"No, it's what they do. As far as I know, you haven't killed a single person on all of your raids," Autumn replied. "You're different." Hiccup fought back the urge to agree with her. Something deep inside him knew she was right about him. He knew that what she was saying made complete sense and yet he couldn't figure out why she seemed to know so much about him.

"Autumn, let me ask you something," Hiccup began, "About the nightmare-"

"Kid," Scarfish entered the healing lodge. "Let's go, the ships are all set." Hiccup looked over at Autumn. The questions from before were still eating away at him, yet he couldn't figure out for the life of him why he couldn't ask her. He didn't even know what would happen when they attacked the bandits. He opened his mouth but once again Scarfish cut him off.

"Come on, we have a war to fight," The other pirate turned and kicked the door open and strode out with his head held high. Hiccup sighed. He couldn't do it. No words would come.

"I've got to go," He said instead, averting his eyes and walking towards the door.

"Boss," He turned. "Take Toothless with you." Hiccup opened his mouth and then shut it as he shook his head.

"You should keep him with you," Hiccup replied. Autumn shook her head and glared at him.

"He'll just get restless here. Toothless is better off going where he's needed," Autumn replied firmly. She then fingered the amulet for a second. She could figure out what it meant while she waited. Not that she had much of a choice with her leg.

Hiccup, seeing that he wasn't going to win this fight, nodded. Toothless crept out and stood alongside his friend. He peered up at Hiccup with questioning eyes. For a second Hiccup felt like he knew those eyes so well. It was like he was looking into… he shook his head. That was impossible. He'd never met this dragon before, had he?

With a nod to Autumn, Hiccup walked out the door and Toothless followed in his wake.

Autumn sighed and looked down at the amulet for a second. "SH, DH, SLH?" She said quietly to herself. "What does that mean?" Autumn now wished she had asked Denha more questions while at her house. Now she wasn't sure if she'd meet Denha again or if Denha was ever going to tell Autumn the answers anyways.

"Wait a second," Autumn took her sleeve and rubbed at the bottom of the back of the amulet. She blinked and then sat back.

"Odin alive."

The messily carved words stared at her:

_Denha,_

_We shall return someday. Look for us on the morrow. _

_-Stoick and Spitelout._

_

* * *

_"Can't this thing go any faster?" Lloyd demanded.

"Aye, we can drive it right into the rocks if you like," Lloyd had to sigh at the raw sense of humor that Gobber had. Lloyd wondered why Astrid had agreed to let the old blacksmith come along. She had argued that if anyone knew about traveling into dangerous territory besides Stoick, it was Gobber. Stoick had to take care of the village as the acting Chief, so it was Gobber that had to go.

Lloyd mentally kicked himself for not arguing. But Gobber was a more seasoned Viking than anyone on board the ship, so Lloyd had little say in the matter to begin with.

"Thanks," Lloyd said dryly and briefly considered throwing himself over the railing. He walked back over to the stern and sat down with a heavy sigh among the supply packs.

"You _do_ know the real reason why Gobber's along, right?" Lloyd lifted his head to the sound of Gutlout's stony voice. He stood there, eyeing Lloyd and folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Because he can annoy us faster than the terrible twins?" Lloyd replied sarcastically. Gutlout frowned.

"He knows better than any of us what's out there," Gutlout stated and then he looked over at Astrid, "And he knows Autumn better than most of us."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Lloyd asked, arching his brow. Gutlout scowled.

"Are you really that dense, Lloyd?" Gutlout sighed, "If we want any chance of finding her, we need someone who knows her."

"I know her!" Lloyd snapped, standing up. "I know her better than any of you ever would!"

"No, you don't," Gutlout replied flatly. Lloyd's hands curled into fists and it took every last ounce of resistance inside him to not punch his friend.

"What?" He growled. One of his hands raised slightly, poised to sock Gutlout in the jaw. But the larger Viking didn't flinch or even react to the closeness of the fist.

"If you knew her, you wouldn't even consider doing what I know you've been considering since we got back to Berk," Gutlout stated. Lloyd frowned and held his fist in place.

"How would you know what I've been considering?" Lloyd asked coolly.

"Because I thought about the same thing when my brother died," Gutlout stated. Lloyd had almost forgotten that Gutlout's elder brother, Eldrik, had died during the winter nearly ten years back. It was one of the worst winters Berk had seen in years and the loss Eldrik, who was sixteen at the time, left Gutlout with a hole in his heart. Before then Gutlout had been an energetic boy, always following his brother around everywhere, going on random quests and going hunting together.

Now Gutlout was stoic and hardly ever smiled. No one blamed him, yet everyone, including Lloyd, wanted to see Gutlout return to his usual demeanor.

Gutlout was eight when his brother died. Snotlout hardly showed the pain he'd suffered and the pain he was probably in now. Losing a child was the worst thing to happen in any family and if anyone understood how Astrid felt right now it was Snotlout.

"Don't ever think about giving up on life just because it gets hard," Gutlout stated. "It's never worth it."

"Yeah," Lloyd said quietly and lowered himself back down to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms on his knees. He sighed. Gutlout placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You're not faint hearted, so don't act like it," Gutlout said and then walked away. Lloyd watched his friend go. It was as though Gutlout was telling Lloyd to do all the things Gutlout himself couldn't.

Lloyd wasn't even sure if he could do all the things Gutlout assumed Lloyd could.

"What in Hel is that?" Lloyd immediately turned his head at the sound of Gobber's shocked tone. Lloyd got to his feet and peered over the railing and his own eyes widened, now understanding why Gobber was so shocked.

There in the water was the burning skeletal frame of what used to be a ship. Near it were the floating remains of other ships. Lloyd didn't have to look far to see the smoke and hear the shouting in the distance. He couldn't see past the smoke or the mist, but he could hear the shouting clearly enough.

There was a battle raging somewhere in the distance and they had just come across something that could have been the victim or a weapon in the fight. Either way, Lloyd felt a shiver run down his spine but he stood tall.

"There's something out there," He said as Astrid came up beside him. She nodded.

"We'd best let them know we're here," She said, hefting her axe. Lloyd looked at her for a second and then smiled himself.

"Right," He said and then picked up his sword.

* * *

Hiccup couldn't believe how many fire ships the bandits had in their arsenal and how huge they all were. That said something for how many people they'd manipulated and how much they'd stolen to get their supplies.

Anger burned in his stomach for a second before he caught himself. He helped carry one of the wounded pirates onto the shoreline where he was immediately found by one the healers.

Hiccup then trudged through the rest of the water and walked over to where the other remaining pirates were standing. Scarfish turned as Hiccup approached.

"We still have enough people left to make a stand," Scarfish stated. Hiccup frowned.

"We just lost another five people to injuries," Hiccup said. Toothless growled as he joined his friend. Scarfish looked over at the dragon.

"What's that?" The pirate asked.

"A dragon," Hiccup said, raising an eyebrow.

"I know that, but why is he here?" Scarfish asked.

"Autumn insisted that I take him with me," Hiccup said with a sigh. He knew it was a bad idea but he couldn't argue with her.

"Well, at least we have something on our side," One of the other pirates said. Hiccup looked over. For some reason he didn't like the idea of Toothless being used in a fight but the dragon gave him a stare that indicated that he wasn't about to leave Hiccup's side.

"You're in charge of him then, Kid," Scarface said. He then turned to the others. "Let's go!" They charged up the sand hill and several were hit by a volley of arrows. They went down and Hiccup hastily strapped his helmet on and mounted Toothless.

"Go!" He yelled and the dragon soared over the hill and landed, shaking the earth enough to throw the bandits off for a minute. Toothless breathed fire at those who attempted to rush the dragon and rider. They fell down and Hiccup urged Toothless forward once again, slashing and smashing with his sword and shield from atop the dragon. Toothless flicked his tail, knocking the bandits off their feet and making them easy targets for the enraged pirates.

Hiccup let out a yell of triumph and with a cry Toothless took to the skies and then dived down, spraying the charging bandits with fire and trapping some of them in little circles of flame.

They landed with a thud and Hiccup let out a cry as a spear struck him in his shoulder. Toothless roared and turned to see the attacker.

Standing there in the middle of the flames as though it were a normal day, was Dengar. His unmistakable green tunic was illuminated in the firelight. Hiccup gritted his teeth and held his shoulder.

"Kid, you alright?" Scarfish called. Hiccup nodded. One of the healers ran up alongside Hiccup and brought him down from his dragon.

"We need to get this out of you," The healer stated. Hiccup braced and he held back a scream as the spear was extracted from his skin. Without waiting for the healer to say anything, Hiccup leaped back onto Toothless and charged forward toward Dengar. He reached behind him and pulled the bow-caster that was strapped to his back out. He adjusted it and with a calm look into the view he fired.

Scarfish let out a low yelp and then staggered as another arrow hit him. Hiccup's blood boiled and Toothless let loose a jet of flame that narrowly missed Dengar. Hiccup raised his sword and Toothless sped up, now sprinting forward at a speed that far outclassed any horse or beast.

Two arrows struck Hiccup's chest plate but didn't go through. He counted himself lucky that they didn't. Dengar's eyes darkened. He was clearly frustrated that his battle plan wasn't working.

He took aim again and this time the arrow sailed straight and true into Toothless' leg. The dragon screeched and tumbled down into the ground in a cloud of dirt. Hiccup rolled up and stood in front of the downed dragon. Dengar fitted another arrow to his bow-caster and continued walking at a calm pace. Hiccup decided he wasn't going to wait for Dengar to kill him.

Hiccup charged forth as fast as his prosthetic would allow him. He got halfway to Dengar before an arrow sunk itself into the open side of his chest armor. He didn't stop though. He continued charging and when he was an arm's length away, Dengar cast his bow to the ground and drew his sword in the same breath.

The two blade clanged as they collided and Hiccup gritted his teeth. Dengar was smiling complacently under his mask and he lowered it to let Hiccup see right before Dengar whistled.

Hiccup turned his head upwards and felt his blood go cold. Through a huge wall of flame and smoke came the massive form of a monster.

It was the same green dragon from his nightmares.

* * *

Astrid ran up the shoreline at a full sprint and only stopped when she saw the roughly dressed people who turned to look at the newly arrived Vikings.

Compared to them, the Vikings were in pristine condition. Some of the people stood and walked over, one in particular in the lead.

"Who are you?" The man asked. His arm was bleeding profusely and he had several cuts on his face, yet he was still standing and had a defiant expression on his face. Astrid had to admire his courage, though she didn't know where it stemmed from.

"We're Vikings from Berk. I don't know what's going on here, but if there's any way we can help." The man looked over as Snotlout, Ruffnut, Fishlegs, Waves, and the other Vikings stepped up behind Astrid.

"We can use all the help we can get, our leaders and everyone else are completely outnumbered." He gestured over the sand hill. "Those bandits are brutal. You go up there and you might not come back."

Astrid hefted her axe over her shoulder and shrugged, "We're Vikings, we're stubborn and we don't give up easily." The man looked at her for a moment and then smiled.

"Then I'll go with you," He stuck out his hand, "I'm Riggs."

"Astrid," Astrid said, taking his hand. The man's eyes went wide with surprise and he made to open his mouth to speak but then a screech followed by a roar turned his head around to the skies.

Out of the mist shot a small black dragon with an armor clad rider and shortly behind it was a giant green dragon. The black swerved around one of the cliffs and the green dragon smashed straight through the rock as though it was made of dirt. It breathed fire that the black dragon narrowly dodged.

"What the-?" Riggs began but he found himself stumbling off to the side as Astrid pushed past him and jumped on Waves' back.

"Astrid!" The word was barely past Fishlegs' lips as Waves shot into the sky. He could only watch in horror as the Monstrous Nightmare shot flames at the green dragon's back. Its head turned, its interest in the other dragon lost, it then began to flap toward Waves and Astrid.

* * *

**A/N- And the tension once again rises! =) See you guys at the next one!**

**Thanks to the following people for supporting this fic:**

**Kamikazitwinkie**

**Anime-fan-402**


	14. You Know

**Chapter 13**

**You Know**

_A/N- Well, I decided that I'd just keep plugging away at my writing since I don't have class and I'm on a roll with ideas and writing juices (which doesn't always happen) so here's a double posting! _

_Plus I felt a little badly about leaving off on a cliffie. _

_Da-da-da we're dead… I think._

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Toothless let out a growl of alarm and Hiccup turned his head to see that the green dragon was now chasing someone else. He frowned and then they shot forward again.

Toothless sent a jet of fire into the green dragon and then when the dragon didn't turn, Hiccup drew his sword and slashed the dragon's eye as they flew up alongside it. It let out a sky rumbling roar and swung its tail, sending Hiccup and Toothless into the cliff. The impact shattered Hiccup's greave. The splinters dug into his skin but he ignored the pain and held on tight as Toothless readjusted himself.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked. Toothless growled an affirmative. Hiccup looked over as the green dragon flapped its way over. On its back, Dengar grinned broadly. Hiccup wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off the bandit's face.

The other dragon blasted the green dragon and it swung its tail and the rider hung on before dropping through the sky. Toothless and Hiccup both seemed to be thinking the same thing because both the dragon and rider shot forth and Toothless caught the falling rider by her flailing legs. Hiccup turned to his dragon.

"Did you get her?" Hiccup found himself smiling as he saw Toothless' lopsided grin. It was incredibly like Hiccup's own. _But that could just be my imagination_, Hiccup thought. He flew back around and swung past the cliff, dropping the other rider onto the ground and then flying back out to face the green dragon.

The green dragon roared and swung its tail once again, knocking Toothless off balance. It took all of Hiccup's strength to hang on to the saddle. The leather tying him to the saddle was beginning to stretch and it was burned enough that if it got hit again, Hiccup would fall off.

"Alright, let's go!" Hiccup yelled and Toothless shot more flames at the dragon. He then turned around and passed the cliff. Hiccup turned his head slightly to look at the rider. Her face was so familiar-

He didn't get to finish his thought as he felt something hit him in the back. Hiccup whirled around to see Dengar with his bow-caster again. He notched another arrow to it and took aim. Hiccup held on tight and Toothless flipped over and turned out so he was right behind the green dragon. Hiccup drew his sword and slashed the tail several times before the dragon sent flames back. They burned the leather of the leather and it snapped. Hiccup felt a jolt and grabbed on with his legs. Toothless swerved as the green dragon turned to hit them again with fire. They dodged and then shot up into the sky then pulled back facing the wide open mouth of the dragon.

"Hold, Toothless!" He heard himself saying. As Toothless' tensed, holding his flames back. Hiccup gritted his teeth and then he gripped his sword, "Now!" Toothless sent flames straight into the monster's mouth and it took a moment right before it sputtered and a burst of flames came back out swallowing Hiccup and Toothless right before the tail came around, smashing Toothless in the side.

This time Hiccup came loose and he hurled his sword right at the eye of the green dragon. It screeched and in its thrashing knocked Hiccup onto the cliff where he landed roughly on his good leg. The green dragon turned its eyes onto Hiccup and its roar sent shivers through Hiccup's body.

As its eyes penetrated him, Hiccup suddenly found himself in his memories again. This time he was flying through the sky, the green dragon was chasing him high into the skies. Toothless attacked it many times with flames before diving back down to earth. The flames were building in the monster's throat and Hiccup was telling Toothless to hold.

"Hold, Toothless, hold!" He was saying, "Now!" The flames swallowed Hiccup as he flew back towards the ground but the tail of the green dragon came around and hit him.

Hiccup snapped back to reality as the green dragon was falling down toward him. He tried to push himself up but the huge dragon crashed into the side of the cliff, sending Hiccup sprawling across the crumbling ground. The rocks creaked and Toothless' eyes went wide as the ground cracked, gave way and left Hiccup to tumble down.

* * *

Astrid couldn't believe her eyes. She had seen someone riding a dragon that looked so like Toothless she could have sworn it was the Night Fury. She then found herself dangling from the clutches of the dragon and dropped onto the cliff while the rider went off to battle a green dragon that resembled the green death like it hadn't been defeated at all.

It was as though the past was repeating itself, but for what purpose Astrid didn't know. She knew that the gods did things for a reason but for the life of her she couldn't understand why they were trying to remind her of a terrifying moment in her life.

She turned her head to see the Night Fury turning around to shoot flames into the monster's mouth and she scrambled to her feet as the Night Fury was sent spiraling and the rider hit the flat surface of the cliff and didn't move. She urged her legs forward, now running as the green dragon fell, taking part of the cliff down with it.

The armored rider slid down the rock and leaped forward, grabbing the arm before it disappeared completely. The green dragon continued to fall. She heard a _click _and turned to see the rider from the Green Death standing behind her. He had a bow-caster and was aiming it at her. She couldn't move because she had to maintain her grip on the other rider's arm. She reached her other arm down as she heard the _twang _of the bow and felt something strike her shoulder. She winced but kept her grip on the rider's arm. She couldn't let go.

No, she wouldn't.

* * *

Toothless let out a roar and tackled Dengar, causing him to shoot his arrow into the sky. Astrid used the remainder of her strength to haul the rider up and then lifted her axe in anticipation of Dengar's next attack. He stood up, rubbing his head. He drew his sword and stared Astrid down.

"Move," Dengar said. Astrid stood her ground.

"No," She hefted her axe. Toothless moved so he was next to Astrid, blocking the armored rider. He let out a low growl and pawed at the ground.

"This is between me and him," Dengar stated. "I have no quarrel with you."

"Yeah, well, you picked a fight with me when you shot me in the back with an arrow, so tough luck," Astrid stated, eyeing the man with disgust. "Plus you hurt Toothless." She nodded towards the Night Fury, who snarled at Dengar.

"Have it your way," Dengar said and he charged forward, slashing Astrid across the knees. She went down and Dengar swiftly turned and stabbed Toothless in both his front legs, causing the dragon to tumble to the ground. Dengar stood over the two fallen fighters with a mixture of pity and cold disinterest.

He crossed over, raising his sword and brought it down and staggered back a step when it clanged against the solid surface of an armor vambrace. The rider was once again on his feet, albeit his right leg was shaking as blood trickled down it and the other was simply so wobbly that would give at any moment. Astrid looked up at the armored figure. Why was this person protecting her? Sure, she had saved his life, but she didn't know him.

"You have guts," Dengar stated, recovering his stance. "I commend you on your courage. But if I were to hit either of your legs you'd be dead in an instant." He then moved forward as if to prove his point and whacked the armored rider's legs and he crumpled. Dengar flicked his blade to the rider's neck.

"You killed my dragon," Dengar stated.

"You killed my friends," The rider said evenly. Dengar shrugged.

"Casualties of a war that has been going on long before you even joined it," Dengar raised his sword and stabbed it down into the rider's now exposed right leg. He let out a ragged breath but held in his scream.

"I have no time for fools like you," Dengar said, turning to Astrid. "Rushing into a fight that isn't yours is admirable. But it doesn't change that this fight isn't yours." He lifted his sword and stabbed Astrid in the abdomen. She let out a cry that tore through the air.

Toothless struggled to try to stand up but both his legs refused to support him. He growled, snorting smoke and he opened his mouth and shot a bolt of flames at Dengar, who jumped as aside.

"A noble effort, Dragon," Dengar stated. "But fruitless." He lifted his sword and aimed it at Astrid's heart. "Goodbye, Fool."

It was as though things were coming back to him in waves. Hiccup grimaced, losing track of his reality for a moment as he saw the images of the fight with the green dragon flashing through his mind. Then he was waking up and Toothless was there in his house. He was walking outside and his leg was missing.

That's right. It had been lost when he fought the green dragon. Then his head throbbed again and he opened his eyes to see the sword going into the chest of the woman before him. She screamed and he took her in as Toothless growled, puffing smoke.

"You wouldn't understand how amazing Toothless is," She said. The sword went up again. "He's amazing."

The dam came loose and everything flooded back. He had raised the dagger up to kill Toothless, hesitated and set him free. He'd returned, studied the dragon and befriended him in secret. The drawings, there were drawings, and he was doing well in dragon training.

He was learning to fly and had designed his own saddle. Then there she was, the blonde girl. Astrid, that was her name. Astrid Hofferson. She was yelling at him and telling him to set her down. She hugged his waist as they flew through the clouds.

Then there was the cove. Soft lips on his cheek that turned his entire face warm.

Soon he was in the ring, face to face with a Monstrous Nightmare and then there was the yelling.

His name.

"_Hiccup!" _

Clang! The hammer hit the railing and Hiccup was on his feet, charging Dengar wildly. He slammed into the other man, and Hiccup's sword went with him, driving straight into Dengar's frozen heart. They staggered backwards and Dengar's sword smashed into Hiccup's helmet, sending it flying off to the side. The flesh burned as the sword cut into it, but Hiccup was still charging. Dengar's foot slipped and he went over the ledge.

Hiccup took a second to steady his balance before he fell backwards onto the ground. He turned his head to the side, took one look at Astrid and with a toothy grin plastered on his face, fainted.

**A/N- Well, that's all for now. Don't forget to vote in the OC poll on my profile! I'll be posting the final results in the final chapter of "Always" so get your opinion in! =)**

**Thanks to the following people for their support:**

**Nicktoons83**


	15. A Reunion of Sorts

**Chapter 14**

**A Reunion of Sorts**

_A/N- Yeah! I'm back and ready for more! *Readies for fight* Let me at 'em!_

_Oh, wait, Hiccup already pummeled Dengar. Ouch. _

_Well, I don't think there's much for me to say except that I'm really happy that everyone is still sticking with this story. I appreciate all your reviews and support throughout this and I hope you will stay right until the very end. _

_*Bows* Thank you very much. _

_If you haven't voted in the OC poll, please do so! You can vote twice and I will be posting the results in the last chapter of this series. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_-Don ^_^_

_**Just a warning, this chapter has some material that borders on M for violence content.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Fishlegs reached the top of the cliff to find a curious sight before him.

On the ground was Toothless, Astrid and to Fishlegs' surprise and joy, the unconscious form of none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. Astrid was sitting on the ground next to the unconscious Hiccup and was holding his hand tightly in hers. She looked worse for wear with blood all over her shirt but otherwise she seemed happier than Fishlegs had seen her in years.

With the help of Waves, who had flown off to get Fishlegs and the others after the fight began, Fishlegs, Snotlout and Ruffnut had arrived on the cliff top to find this wonderful sight.

"What's going on?" Snotlout pushed his way forward. "Hey, that's Hiccup! It's Hiccup!" Ruffnut elbowed him.

"Of course it is, Idiot, now shut up," Ruffnut nudged Fishlegs, jerking her head to where Waves stood. Fishlegs nodded. He knew that Hiccup and Astrid had fifteen years worth of catching up to do.

He was willing to let them get started now. With a smile at the two, he followed his own partner. They'd come back in a little while.

Hiccup felt the breeze on his face and for a second wondered why he was still feeling it if he was dead.

He slowly opened his eyes open to find himself staring into two bright blue orbs. They were the most amazing things he'd seen in years and he winced. "What happened?"

"You were very brave… right up until you fainted," Hiccup blinked and Astrid's face swam into focus. Her expression told him that she was a little underwhelmed by his sudden moment of weakness. He mentally smacked himself.

"Way to go, Hiccup," He muttered to himself, "You haven't seen her in fifteen years and what do you do, you faint!" Astrid's lips twitched into a smile and without warning she burst into laughter.

Hiccup stared at her blankly for a moment. Had she gone crazy while he was gone? Then when her smile faded, he pushed himself up and regretted it when his shoulder throbbed painfully. Silence fell between them.

Hiccup wasn't sure what to say. He'd been away from Berk, his friends, his family and Astrid for fifteen years and it didn't help that the whole time he'd had amnesia. Until now he hadn't remembered anything that had happened because of the shipwreck.

But now he remembered everything. Down to the moment where he cut the _Nightwalk _off from the _Thorn, _stranding him in the middle of the sea while his friends sailed off safely. His act of heroism had almost killed him because the moment the _Nightwalk_ had split in half, his metal leg had dragged him down through the water.

"Hiccup," He turned to look at her. She had a frightened expression on her face and he noted that she still hadn't let go of his hand. "I want you to tell me where you've been all this time. I want to know what happened, everything."

Hiccup felt himself go cold at _everything _and shook his head. "I can't tell you everything."

Astrid frowned, "You owe that to me at least. It's been fifteen years and I thought you were dead, Hiccup."

He opened his mouth and then shut it. For the first time he understood why Astrid was looking at him with such a strange expression of disbelief and hurt on her face.

He licked his lips, "There are…" Hiccup shook his head, "There are some things that you're better off not hearing."

Astrid frowned and folded her arms across her chest, letting go of his hand for the first time, "Try me." Hiccup sighed.

"I'm serious, Astrid," Hiccup said, his voice held a pleading tone that Astrid had only heard him use a few times before. It was the same tone he'd used when he'd asked her to let him show her what dragons were really like. "I… don't want you to hear what Dengar did."

That stalled any immediate response that Astrid had built up in her mind. She tried to look into Hiccup's eyes for any sign of what he was talking about or thinking, but she couldn't detect anything.

"What did he do?" Astrid asked calmly. Hiccup shook his head. "What did he do, Hiccup?"

"I can't."

"You can," She placed her hand over his, "Dengar is dead. You saw to that. He can't hurt you anymore."

Hiccup shook his head fervently. "You don't understand."

"Then make me understand," She said, taking his head in her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes. Hiccup frowned and lowered his gaze.

"After the _Nightwalk _was destroyed, I had to pull off my prosthetic so I wouldn't drown," Hiccup frowned. "I thought I was going to have to stay there until I ran out of energy to tread water," He scowled, "Then I was saved by Dengar."

* * *

_He'd felt himself losing the battle with his lungs as they closed down. _

_Then he reached down in a desperate effort and undid the clasps holding his metal leg to his stump. The moment it was free, it sunk down faster than a rock. Soon Hiccup was floating back to the surface and seconds later hands were hauling him from the water. _

"_This one's a cripple, Dengar." One of the figures said. Hiccup cringed. He hated it when people drew attention to his missing limb. It was bad enough that he'd had to ditch it to save his life. _

"_Throw him back, I have no use for cripples," The one called Dengar said, looking disgustedly down at Hiccup. For a second their eyes locked before Dengar held up a hand, stalling the figure who was about to haul Hiccup back into the water._

"_You've got fierce determination," Dengar said, "We'll see to it that you channel that in the right direction." He waved his hand and strode away as Hiccup was hauled up once again and brought down the stairs into a small room. _

_Hiccup was positive the blacksmith shop in Berk had less intimidating weapons and devices than this room. Who were these people?_

"_Put him over there." One of the figures shoved Hiccup into a chair chained his hands down. _

"_We don't have to worry about you kicking, eh?" The other said, grinning. Hiccup felt himself grow fearful when he looked up to see the first figure holding a dagger in his hand. He ran his finger along the blade and gave Hiccup a small superior grin._

"_Sorry, protocol," He said and walked over, "We have to break everyone we take prisoner. Dengar thinks you're too spirited, so that's the only reason why you're not eating bubbles now." He took the dagger and stabbed it down into Hiccup's stump. Hiccup bit back a cry._

"_I see why Dengar was worried," The other said. "Maybe we should have thrown him back."_

"_No, we'll break him," The first said, wrenching the dagger out so that Hiccup let loose a ragged breath. The other walked to the back wall and pulled down a sword with jagged edges. _

"_Shirt off," The first ordered. "We don't want to rip the only clothes you'll have to wear from now on."_

_It only took minutes before Hiccup's mind shut down completely to erase the memory of the pain. He remembered screaming until he passed out and even then he still felt it._

_The next thing he remembered was seeing a kind face of a masked figure as he said, "I promise you, you will return."_

_

* * *

_Astrid sat silently as she stared at Hiccup. She could tell he was holding back some of the details, but she didn't blame him. She'd had no idea that he had lost his memory because of torture and all this time she'd assumed he was dead because she thought he'd come back if he was alive.

"Hiccup-" He shook his head. She gritted her teeth. This made her angrier than ever and she wished she could bring Dengar back so she could give him exactly what he'd given Hiccup.

"It's okay," Hiccup said quietly, "I'm fine now."

"But you're not," Astrid replied, "How can you say that?" She found herself staring into his abundantly bright green eyes. He smoothed her hair and smiled.

"Because this was many years ago," Hiccup said. "I don't really want to talk about it anymore." He averted his eyes and Astrid knew that now really wasn't the time to probe him any further.

"Alright," She said. Something told her that he wasn't ever going to live that experience down any more than she was going to forget how painful losing him was.

"Hiccup, there's something you need to know," Astrid said and he looked at her, concern and apprehension in his eyes as he studied her.

"What is it?" He asked gently. Astrid turned her head away.

"It's about our daughter," She said in a low voice.

"Autumn?" Hiccup questioned, he smiled. "She's really something." Astrid blinked.

"How do you know that?" Astrid blurted. Hiccup frowned.

"Didn't you know she was out here?" Hiccup asked. "I rescued her from Dengar. She's back at the pirate village."

Astrid's body slumped with relief. So Autumn was alive. Hiccup scrutinized Astrid carefully, "You didn't know she was here?"

Astrid shook her head, "I thought she was dead, like you." Hiccup felt himself tense at the sound of her pained voice. So she thought she'd lost both her daughter and her life partner? Hiccup placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," He said. She leaned her head against his chest and for a minute neither one said anything. It was strange that fifteen years apart had caused them to revert back to their nervous teen behavior towards one another.

He remembered clearly the first few months after he'd woken up to find that Berk was forever changed he couldn't manage to work up the courage to officially ask Astrid out. So those few months were excruciatingly confusing. At the moment he felt the same way he'd felt back then: unsure of his stance with Astrid and completely insecure with how close they were. Not that he didn't like the feel of her head on his chest, he liked it a lot and more over he loved that he could feel her heartbeat as she turned to press her forehead into the fabric of his shirt. He tentatively lifted his arms and put them around her shoulders.

"I'm surprised you weren't frightened back there," She said. Hiccup laughed shakily.

"Are you kidding? I was terrified," He cast a glance over at Toothless, who raised his head and twitched his ears up as his mouth worked into an attempt of a Hiccup-esc smile. "But Toothless seemed to know what he was doing."

"Mmm," Astrid said, feeling her eyelids growing heavy. Hiccup shifted so she was lying in his arms. "I really thought you were gone." He met her eyes and shook his head. He kissed her on the forehead and brushed the hair from her face.

"I'm right here," Hiccup stated. Astrid lifted her arm to hit him, but instead it fell back down as sleep took her. Hiccup simply stayed where he was, looking up as something thumped onto the ground. Fishlegs crossed over and smiled.

"It's good to have you back," He said quietly. Hiccup smiled back, too tired to say anything more. Fishlegs knelt next to Astrid. "You both need to be treated." Hiccup nodded and let Fishlegs take Astrid in his arms. Hiccup couldn't stand as both his legs were injured.

"Fish," The larger Viking turned. "I…" Hiccup looked down at the ground. Fishlegs shook his head.

"I understand, Hiccup, we all do," Fishlegs met Hiccup's eyes and it really seemed as though Fish did understand. "Come on, let's get you back to the pirate village."

* * *

Lloyd sat on one of the smaller rock formations overlooking the water. He let out a sigh and let one of his legs slide off the rock, dangling over the ledge. It had been hard returning to the village and hearing the excited chattering of the other Vikings.

So apparently Hiccup had been seen alive or so they had thought. He couldn't care less. Lloyd had decided to climb up the rocks and stare at the sea. It was always so beautiful to look at, yet it held a quiet sort of sadness as well. The depths held haunting secrets of lost souls and wrecked ships.

No, Lloyd couldn't look at the see the same way, not anymore. It would continue to remind him of his failure to protect what was important to him. What kind of Viking couldn't even help save his friends from peril?

_That was just it_, Lloyd thought, _I'm not a true Viking. _

"It's a great view, but it's much prettier from the other side," Lloyd whirled around and fell off his seat on the rock as his eyes fixated on the source of the voice.

"You-you're dead!" He exclaimed. She frowned, folding her arms across her chest, looking clearly affronted.

"No," She said dryly, "I'm pretty sure I'm alive." When Lloyd continued to stare at her blankly she sighed and started away.

"Wait," She turned slowly as Lloyd tentatively crossed over to where she stood.

"You're really alive?" The blonde carefully scrutinized her friend. His voice held fear and uncertainty that was completely foreign to his personality. His were also filled with a hesitation and desperation that insisted that what he was seeing was really. It had to be, he needed this to be real. It had to be, he needed this nightmare to be over. She closed the gap and hugged her friend hard.

"I'm here," She assured him and he slowly relaxed as he felt the warmth of her arms around him. This was real. She was here right now. He nodded silently. His hands went up hesitantly and then slowly wrapped around his friend.

"You asked me once if there was anything that scares me," He said. She nodded, pulling back a little to look into his eyes, but he was staring fixatedly at the ground. "It was… you." She blinked and then frowned.

"_I _scare _you?_" Autumn raised an eyebrow dubiously. He shook his head. "The fact that I'm here scares you?"

"No," He said in a voice barely above a whisper and as the waves crashed against the rocks below, she almost missed his next words, "But the idea of you not being here does."

Autumn stared at him for a while. She couldn't really understand why he was so shaken up now. "Why?"

He scowled, "Why do you think?"

"I don't know," Autumn replied, folding her arms across her chest again. "You tell me. Tell me, Lloyd, why does it scare you that I'm not around?"

"Are you really that dense?" He snapped, kicking a rock with his foot in frustration. It went up and over the ledge, landing in the water with a dull splash.

"Dense?" Autumn repeated. "Just what about me is dense?" He hated how stubborn she was sometimes. It could get to the point where she was getting defensive for the sake of getting defensive.

"Don't jump down my throat, Autumn," Lloyd said, holding up his hands. "I thought you were dead, okay?" She looked at him and her gaze softened.

"You know I wouldn't die that easily," Autumn said with a confident grin. "I'm stubborn, remember?" He looked at her.

"Wouldn't you?" He questioned, glancing down at her leg. Where her right leg used to be was a metal prosthetic. "No one's invincible, Autumn. Not even you."

She snorted, "Come on, just because I lost a leg-"

"And then what?" Lloyd demanded, "An arm? Your other leg?"

"You don't know if that'll happen," Autumn said sternly. He laughed hollowly.

"Yeah? Well, neither do you," Lloyd stated. With that he turned on his heel and climbed back down the rocks and walked back to the village. Autumn sighed and sat down on the now vacated rock.

When had talking to Lloyd become so complicated? He used to be so easy to read and agreeable. Now all he seemed to want was to argue with her about her lifestyle and why it wasn't good for her.

He was living the same one for Thor's sake! She rested her head in her hand as her elbow dug into her leg. She couldn't figure out for the life of her what was bothering Lloyd so much. So she had had a scrape with death but that was normal for a Viking. They lead dangerous lives and Autumn had always come out in one piece.

Sure she'd lost her leg. But nothing lasted forever. Didn't Lloyd know that by now? She sighed as she pushed herself onto her feet. She turned her head as she heard shouting from the shoreline. Waves and the other Vikings were unloading from the ship. She could see her mother being carried off the ship in the arms of Fishlegs. Her heart skipped a beat.

Wait, did that mean Hiccup was- She then breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Snotlout and another pirate carrying a stretcher with Hiccup on it. They didn't seem distraught so he must be fine. Toothless was next. A large cart was rolled out of the village and the dragon was heaved onto it. Apparently the fight had given everyone a beating. All the Vikings looked tired.

Well, tomorrow was another day and she needed the night to think about what to do about Lloyd. She was sure he'd come around soon.

* * *

"The bandits are on the run," Scarfin said, slamming his fist onto the table. "We have to stop them before they take down another village."

"Dengar's dead, they're like a snake with its head cut off," Another captain stated. "We have nothing to worry about."

"But they wouldn't give up just because of Dengar, they still have other leaders," Riggs said. He pointed to piece of land on the map labeled 'Land of the Mist,' "They have complete control of this region still. We're outnumbered and that won't change no matter where they run to. Until they're all wiped out, we'll have to worry about them taking over other regions."

"So what do you suggest we do?" The other captain demanded. Riggs turned his head to look over at the Vikings.

"If I know anything about the bandits, it's that they're greedy and will stop at nothing to get their way," He nodded to the Vikings, "They will strike Berk."

"How do you know that?" Snotlout demanded. Riggs smiled.

"Because," He said with a sad smile, "They have before." His eyes went over to Gobber, who frowned.

"Gobber?" Fishlegs questioned, staring at his former teacher. All eyes were on him. The older Viking squared his shoulders.

"Aye," Gobber said with a heavy sigh, "I remember that. A sad day it were. Not a soul will forget it. We lost a small percentage of our fighting force, our whole livestock for the season and to boot we had to deal with the disease they brought over," Gobber shook his head, "It took even more Vikings from us. Stoick was never the same."

Fishlegs opened his mouth and then shut it as comprehension dawned on him. So that's how Hiccup's mother died. Fishlegs had been very young when Hiccup's mother had been killed in a raid from an enemy force on Berk. But what he did remember was Hiccup standing in the doorway of the healer's house as part of the village burned, holding on tightly to his mother's shirt as she was carried inside. Hiccup's eyes were filled with terror and his shirt was covered in blood from the many wounds on his mother's body. The next day Hiccup was scarce from the village.

He was inside the shop, working on something in backroom. Fishlegs had walked by a couple of afternoons with his mother to see glimpses of Hiccup's sullen face as sat in the shop, drawing something in a notebook.

Hiccup was barely five years old at the time. A child never forgot the death of a parent, especially when he or she died right in front of the child.

Fishlegs imagined Hiccup never forgot that day any more than Fishlegs would forget the day his brother died.

"We'll ally ourselves with Berk," Riggs said. "Let them come to us and we'll be ready." Fishlegs looked over at Gobber, who nodded.

"Aye, the best offense is defense," He affirmed. "You know for sure that they'll come?"

Riggs nodded, "We'll go to Berk and they'll be sure to follow us when we do." Gobber grinned.

"Baiting them, eh? That's more like it!" He said and with that the Vikings exited the tent.

Tomorrow would bring a journey that none of them had ever been on before. What that brought, only the gods knew.

"This is crazy," Ruffnut said. "But I like it." The others had to agree at that, even Tuffnut.

* * *

**A/N- This isn't quite a cliffie, but it still leaves the question of how the Vikings are going to put up a fight against a siege of bandits. I also took the liberty of filling in how Hiccup's mother died. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks to the following people for their support of this fic:**

**Hectorg123**


	16. The Lives We Live

**Chapter 15**

**The Lives We Live**

_A/N- Hey Guys! It's been a while since my last update, so I humbly apologize for that._

_I've been busy with many things for college: 1. My animation project 2. My paintings for my painting class (which had such a loose guideline that I made it into three HTTYD themed paintings) and 3. Life in general. I have classes, papers, and almost no time to update during the next few weeks. _

_Also, a head's head for the next few weeks, I am thinking of doing the novel in a month (NaNoWriMo) so any free time I have will be dedicated to that. _

_I'll be posting my paintings and the novel on my DA when I'm finished. But I wanted to let you guys know ahead of time that I'll be MIA for a while._

_Oh! If you like my stories please vote in the FFN Author of the Month Contest hosted by Facebook. I'm number 11. =) The contest ends tonight, so I'd appreciate your votes if you do like my work._

_Thanks for reading!_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Stoick the Vast received many a shock when he saw not only the ship he'd seen leave Berk days before, but an entire fleet of ships flying the symbol of a sword shrouded in mist and a bone. The pirates of the land of the mist: Stoick knew them well. He'd had a run in with them when he was a lad and just beginning the traditional journey onto the sea as a newly minted Viking.

To say the least, they weren't nearly as violent or hostile as some of the stories chocked them up to be. But they weren't Vikings and thus weren't to be tarried with. Yet here they were, disembarking from their ships onto Berk's docks.

"Thunder of Thor!" Stoick exclaimed and pushed his way through the crowd that had begun to mass around the docks. He stood there, his bulk blocking any of the crew from passing onto Berk's shores. "Just what do you think you're doing here?" He demanded, drawing himself up to a height that even he hadn't known was possible.

"It's okay, Father," Astrid said, stepping in between them. "Riggs, Scarfin, this is Stoick Haddock." Riggs inclined his head respectfully and held out his hand. Stoick took it, nearly crushing the smaller man's hand in his.

"Captain Jorgens Wildfin the Second," Scarfin said, holding out his hand and nearly matching the gruffness of Stoick's handshake. "But that's Captain Scarfin to you n' everyone else."

Stoick nodded and turned to his daughter in law, "Am I not still Chief?" Stoick questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Former Chief," All eyes turned asa black dragon landed with a thud on the ground and its rider slid down. Stoick took in the dragon, who he knew to be Toothless, the only Night Fury in Berk and then his eyes rested on the rider.

"You've got some nerve," Stoick said with a growl, "Coming back here after fifteen years and expecting to find me happy with you." Stoick's mouth twitched into a smile and he crossed over and gathered his son into a bone crushing hug.

"What were you doing for fifteen years?" Stoick demanded. Hiccup felt a hand on his shoulder as Astrid stepped up next to him.

"We'll explain that later, Father," Astrid stated. "Right now we have to make battle plans." Stoick glanced back at the pirates and then at his son.

"What's going on, Son?" Stoick asked. Hiccup sighed. He hated for his first return to Berk in years to be such a sordid affair, but they didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

"The bandits of the land in the mist are on their way over," Hiccup said, "And we have only a day at most before they arrive." Stoick stiffened at the news and nodded.

"Then we'd best get to planning," Stoick turned his head to Scarfin and Riggs. "You two and the rest of your leaders should join us at the meeting."

Hiccup let loose a ragged sigh. He had hardly gotten any sleep on board the ship because all his memories from the past fifteen years as well as those from before were swimming in and out of his mind at random intervals. The Green Death wasn't the worst of his nightmares now. Something touched his arm and he turned to find Astrid frowning at him.

"We'll be right back, Father," Astrid said and pulled Hiccup away from the group. She continued to lead him until they were in the cove. Then she let go of him and turned to face him straight on.

"Okay, Hiccup, what was that all about?" She demanded. Hiccup faltered under her gaze before he rubbed the back of his neck.

"What was what?" Hiccup said. Astrid scowled even deeper.

"Hiccup," She said, "We both know that that sigh back there wasn't normal."

"Since when have I ever been normal?" Hiccup asked and when he noticed that she wasn't amused by his rebuke, sighed again. "Look, Ast, I haven't been here in fifteen years. It's…"

"Overwhelming?" Astrid filled in and he simply nodded. She softened her gaze and fixated him with a firm stare. "I don't think I can ever understand what you went through with Dengar, Hiccup. But I do know that here on Berk you don't have to worry about ever being hurt like that again."

Hiccup shrugged, "You don't know that."

Astrid grunted. When Hiccup wanted to be, he could be harder to argue with than she was sometimes. "Hiccup, there's no way we could know anything. What's really bothering you?"

He looked away for a second and then met her eyes. "I feel like a stranger here now. It's not the Berk I left behind."

Astrid folded her arms across her chest, "So? Did you expect things to stay the same?" She lifted her gaze to the sky, watching the clouds as they passed overhead. "Things change. Whether or not we're there to see it happen, they will move and turn until we don't even know what they are anymore." She turned her head around at looked at Hiccup.

"You changed too, you know," Astrid said calmly, "Right before you left, you were more confident than I'd ever seen you before. I liked that," She breathed a heavy sigh and lowered her eyes to the ground. "Autumn grew up without a father and I raised her knowing you would never come back. She's a strong headed girl, but she has a heart like you, Hiccup." Hiccup stood still, silently watching Astrid as she rubbed her arm. "Life went on without you. As much as I didn't want it to, it kept going," She lifted her eyes and Hiccup could see that there were tears in them now. "Autumn doesn't know you like I do, so it's like she's meeting an old friend rather than her father."

Hiccup smiled, "You did a good job, Astrid. I couldn't ask for anything more." She nodded and Hiccup crossed over and wrapped his arms around her. Astrid buried her face in his shirt. It was strange that she wanted to be the one to comfort him, but he ended up comforting her in the end.

But that's just how their relationship was. It wasn't at all traditional and constantly defied the expected.

"Still," Astrid said, pulling back slightly, "I'm sorry you didn't get to see her grow up." He shook his head.

"There's still time to," Hiccup said softly. "I missed the first fifteen years, but I'll be here for the rest."

"If you could disappear for fifteen years, who's to say you won't go away for the rest?" Astrid asked and Hiccup let out an elongated sigh. She really was asking the wrong person these questions. He didn't know the true answers any more than the next person. Despite that he may have gone through hell and back, he was still standing here. Time didn't stand still for anyone, but it would always be there.

"There's nothing we can say or do to change what happened, Love," Hiccup said gently, "But know that there will always be something that stays." To Astrid, who was a little overwhelmed by her sudden flood of emotions and crying, his words sounded a little more disconcerting than it might have otherwise. Even then she had a distinct feeling he was being vaguely wistful on purpose. She hated riddles. They often beat around the bush when the obvious solution was to strike hard.

But Hiccup wasn't like that. He didn't have the same impulsively harsh attitude towards solving problems. Instead he would try to figure out a way around the actual question that no one else had thought of.

"Do you believe that?" Astrid asked finally. Hiccup's signature toothy grin spread across his lips.

"Yes," He said and leaned his forehead against hers. "I really do." Astrid let herself relax and found that she believed him for one nonsensical reason or anything. Maybe she had a few screws loose as well or she'd just gotten used to how Hiccup thought about things.

"Hiccup?"

"Mmm?" He blinked as Astrid's fist connected with his abdomen. "Ow, why would you _do_ that?"

"That," She said, flicking her braid back, "Was for dying." Hiccup still hadn't recovered from the punch and was doubled over. He'd forgotten what Astrid's punches felt like until now.

Boy, did he remember. He lifted his head, breathing deeply so he could work through the pain. If she had planned for him to double over, he couldn't tell because the moment he was standing fully she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and brought his lips onto hers.

Yes, he remembered this part as well.

* * *

"Have you seen Lloyd?" Fishlegs turned his head in surprise as he finished chopping the last of the logs for his fireplace. Autumn was standing there with her eyes furtively glancing around as more pirates and Vikings milled about. Fishlegs left his axe in the log and stood up straight so he could face the young girl.

"I can't say I have," Fishlegs said, his own worry over his son's behavior had been overridden by his need to be there for Ruffnut. He had already informed Hiccup that Fishlegs was going to be defending his home during the siege and therefore couldn't be one of the leaders of the main defense. This was his only reason why he was scarce from the meeting taking place in the great hall. "I think he may have gone to the meeting." Autumn was up and running the moment the words left his lips. Fishlegs watched her go and lifted his axe once again to commence chopping. It was troublesome to see Autumn and Lloyd so distant from one another.

It was also odd that she'd taken to calling her friend by his actual name. That immediately told Fishlegs that something was up. He knew his son well enough that if he saw Lloyd, Fishlegs would be able to tell that something was going on.

Autumn skidded to a stop in front of the great hall and walked up the stairs and into the meeting room. Several of the leaders looked up as she walked in and she briefly met the eyes of her mother, who was scowling in disapproval. Over on the far end of the table, his face cast into darkness by the lighting in the room as well as his helmet, stood Lloyd Ingerman. For some reason his expression was serious and if he had an ounce of fear in him, he wasn't showing it.

Someone in the Ingerman had to fight, Lloyd knew and since his father wanted to protect his younger children, Lloyd had volunteered to go when Hiccup brought it up.

"Then Scarfish will take the dock defense," Hiccup stated, "I need someone to help to lead the strike team who will be protecting the entrance to the village. I don't think I need to remind everyone that those who volunteer for this will be on the frontlines the entire time and will be the force standing between the docks and the village. They will also be the force that raids the enemy ships when the time comes."

"I'll do it."

All heads turned, eye fixated on the speaker. Autumn's breath caught in her throat. Part of her wanted to scream opposition but she wouldn't let herself. She was a Viking, like many of those in the room and she had to support the defense of the village. It wasn't her choice what others did.

Hiccup's eyes rested on the younger Viking boy, "Lloyd," Hiccup said, "You do realize that there are older Vikings who can take care of this raid team."

"I know, but I'm doing it," Lloyd stated, "I'm an Ingerman, Chief, but first and foremost I'm a Viking."

Astrid looked over at Hiccup, who seemed to be debating this with reluctance. "He's of age," Hiccup looked over at Stoick. "The boy can decide for himself."

Hiccup held back a sigh and turned his head to face Lloyd once more, "It's your choice, Lloyd." He nodded.

"I want to go," Lloyd stated and Stoick smiled, clapping the younger Viking on the shoulders.

"Good! Then we'll divide up the forces," Stoick then began to bark out names as Hiccup's eyes never left Lloyd's form as he stood with his eyes on the ground. What was bothering the boy, Hiccup couldn't tell, but he did know that it was troubling him. No one did something this brash unless there was a driving reason.

As the meeting adjourned and all teams were assigned, Hiccup waited by the door and held Lloyd back. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Lloyd?" The blonde nodded and Hiccup waved to Astrid, indicating that he would meet her at home. Astrid took Autumn and lead her out. As soon as the large doors banged shut, Hiccup leaned against the table, his arms folded across his chest as he scrutinized the younger Viking.

"I want to know something, Lloyd," Hiccup said carefully. "Did you volunteer because you wanted to fight or because you wanted to avoid facing something else?"

Lloyd opened his mouth and then shut it. He swallowed and then said quietly, "Both, Chief."

Hiccup nodded, "I thought that might be it," To Lloyd's surprise, the Chief smiled. "I can't stop you from fighting in this any more than I can tell you what to believe in. But I will offer a bit of advice if you're willing to listen."

Lloyd was surprised that Hiccup, the newly reinstated Chief of the tribe and Autumn's father, was giving Lloyd a choice in what to do. Hiccup could easily have forced Lloyd to remain behind, but the Chief hadn't done that. Not knowing what else to say, Lloyd nodded.

"There is something you should know about dying in a battle," Hiccup continued, "It's not pretty and most of the time you end up leaving behind a lot of pain and suffering," Hiccup smiled and looked down at his feet, "Not everyone lives through their first fight and not everyone intends to die in the first place. My point is that you should remember who you are and what you can do without killing others to get there."

Lloyd nodded, expecting that this was the end of the lecture, but Hiccup spoke up again, "And know that sacrificing yourself means you won't come back. Remember that." With that Hiccup pulled away from the table and walked out the door. As it banged shut it left a heavy silence and as Lloyd stood there he found himself unable to look anywhere but at his hands as they useless clenched and unclenched themselves.

**A/N- Next Chapter-The siege! =) Thanks for reading! **


	17. Siege At Dawn

**Chapter 16**

**Siege at Dawn**

_A/N- I apologize very deeply for the extensive delay in posting any updates to this and any of my other fics. _

_I've been on the rollercoaster known as life and it isn't always kind to my fan fiction updates. Especially when that "life" involves college work. I've been busy with finishing my senior year of college and I am now a graduate. This means searching for a job and lots of time in between, so I'm hoping to get a good amount of posting done. _

_I am going through each of my multi-chapter fics in order of alerts/favorites and posting new chapters down the line. For this fic and for my Star Wars EU AU NJO series "Jedi Mastery" I will be posting more than once a week. For all other fics there will be alternated postings on the weekends. For more details, please see my profile. _

_Thanks for being patient,_

_-Don _

* * *

_**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME "M" RATED CONTENT INCLUDING VIOLENCE AND INTIMATE MOMENTS. **_

Both Vikings and Pirates had settled down for the night to get what rest they could before the dawn. Many were sleeping with one hand curled around their weapon of choice while others stood watch over the docks in shifts.

Lloyd, still restless from the events over the last few days, had offered to take one of the first shifts at the docks.

He shivered slightly at the night air. It was colder closer to the water than in the rest of the village. He almost jumped as the weight of fabric dropped around his shoulders.

"Odin alive," He turned to see his father standing behind him.

Fishlegs smiled, "If you're going to be that jumpy maybe they shouldn't have put you on duty."

Lloyd frowned at his father as he drew the blanket closer around his shoulders. "I volunteered."

Fishlegs shook his head, "That was a joke, Lloyd. I know you did," He sat down next to his son. "Though I have to ask, why?

"Why did I volunteer?" Lloyd repeated, eyeing his father carefully. The elder Ingerman shrugged.

"Many things, Son," Fishlegs replied, "Why did you volunteer, why did you decide to lead one of the more dangerous missions and why are you avoiding Autumn?"

Lloyd opened his mouth and then shut it again, mulling over his possible answers. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell the truth, but by the gods he knew his father would coax the answer out of him whether he liked it or not. Fishlegs was a practical and logical person so it surprised Lloyd that Fishlegs had noticed his son's distance from Autumn long enough for him to comment on it.

"Was I that obvious?" Lloyd asked, almost sheepishly hiding himself in the blanket.

"Well, maybe just enough that even the newly returned Chief realized something was going on," Fishlegs clasped his hands in front of him and turned his head to look at Lloyd sternly.

"Listen, Son," He said with a sigh, "I'm not very good at giving these talks, and frankly, neither is your mother, but I do know one thing is certain."

Lloyd looked sidelong at his father, "What?"

"You don't get anywhere in life by avoiding your problems," Fishlegs said. "I believe Chief Hiccup was telling you a similar story earlier this evening?"

Lloyd looked down. "Yes, he was."

"He's right," Fishlegs said. "If Hiccup hadn't finally decided to go face Toothless he never would have become the person he is today. Astrid, well, she always liked confronting everything that moved whether it made sense or not."

Lloyd chuckled at that. He could see Astrid confronting Hiccup. "I guess I need to talk to her."

Fishlegs nodded. "Why did it get so hard, Dad?"

The elder Ingerman leaned forward, giving his son a curious look, "Only you could know that, Son. Why do you think you're avoiding her?"

"I'm afraid," He said quietly.

"Ah," Fishlegs said, nodding, "You know, I used to be so afraid of your mother."

"Aren't you still?" Lloyd asked. Fishlegs laughed.

"She's tough, but it's one of the reasons I fell for her," He sighed, "And it took me so long to stop spouting facts long enough to realize the one fact that mattered most."

"What mattered the most?"

"You tell me," Fishlegs said. Lloyd only had to pause for a second before it came to him.

"I think I need to go talk to Autumn," Lloyd said, standing up. Fishlegs nodded.

"I think you do too," He patted his son on the back as Lloyd handed his father the blanket. "Go, I'll cover the rest of your shift."

"Thanks, Dad," Lloyd said with a smile and then ran off towards the Haddock lodge.

* * *

Astrid muttered a stream of incoherent words as the banging on the front door stirred her from her slumber. She groggily sat up, irritated but then found herself smiling despite herself as she looked over at the russet haired man sleeping beside her. He hadn't stirred and she didn't want to disturb the peaceful look he finally had on his face.

Astrid slowly made her way to the front door and opened it to find Lloyd Ingerman standing there. "Lloyd," she said, then her eyes went wide, only now remembering he had been on night duty, "Is something wrong, have they attacked?"

"No, we're fine," Lloyd said quietly. "I just… May I speak to Autumn?" Astrid's eyes searched the young man, finding no readable answer to what he wanted to talk to Autumn about so late at night.

"I'll get her for you," Astrid said, "Come in." She stepped aside and he came inside. Astrid disappeared and left him to stand there, wondering what in Thor's name he'd say to Autumn once he finally got to speak to her.

He looked up then as Astrid came back. "I'm sorry, Lloyd, it seems she's not in her bed." She looked distressed despite her tough composure. Lloyd smiled.

"It's okay, I know where she is."

* * *

Lloyd made his way slowly through the woods and paused just out of view of the rock overlooking the small lake just off of Raven's Point, the Cove.

Just as he'd expected, Autumn was there, seated atop the rock, picking up stones and chucking them into the lake at random. He then slowly walked down to the rock and stopped just short of where she was.

"I knew I'd find you here," Autumn started and then turned around, surprise lit on her face.

"I thought you were on duty watching the docks tonight?" Autumn asked. He nodded.

"I was, but my dad offered to take over," He sat down beside her. "I needed to talk to you."

Autumn looked away and then frowned, "That would have been a nice thing to hear before you volunteered to lead the attack force." Lloyd didn't like the pain he heard behind those words, it stung at him and he hated seeing his best friend in pain.

"I'm sorry," He looked down as well. "I was confused."

Autumn turned to look at him, still frowning but her eyes held something more this time akin to concern. "Confused about what?"

He shook his head. Gods, why couldn't he just talk to her, that's why he came out to find her in the middle of the night in the first place. "Lloyd," He turned and felt something warm on top of his hands, which he hadn't even realized were gripping his knees. Autumn squeezed his hands with hers.

"Tell me," She said softly, "Please."

He took a deep breath, "I was confused because I was so… lost and hurt when I thought you were dead. I didn't realize just how much of a part of my life you were. I was overwhelmed and then to hear you sound so calm when I was falling apart…" He shook his head again. Autumn took his hands and gripped them in hers in a firm yet still gentle gesture.

"I didn't know you were in that much pain," Autumn said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried," Lloyd said, smiling wryly, "But we were both making it hard."

"How's that?" Autumn asked. He noted that she was still holding his hands, not that he minded.

"I was feeling hurt from the separation and you were still coping with being home again," He sighed, "I guess what I was really trying to say back there was that I missed you. So much."

Autumn nodded, "I missed you. And if I hadn't been so blinded by finding my father again I would have realized it sooner."

Lloyd laughed, "What a pair we are." She startled him slightly by resting her head on his shoulder. A few quiet minutes passed as they just sat there, looking out at the water.

"I'm still upset with you about you leading the attack at dawn," She said. Lloyd turned his head so he could look down into her eyes.

"I know," He said, "I'm sorry. I gave my word though and to Vikings, that means everything."

"If you die, I'll never forgive you," Autumn said bluntly. Now she sounded more like her usual stubborn self.

Lloyd laughed once more and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Astrid turned over and sighed. Knowing that Autumn was still out there bothered her deeply, despite knowing that she was probably fine with Lloyd out there with her. The young Ingerman was a good boy, a fine Viking, and as loving a person as anyone.

Loving? When had she begun to think about people in terms of love? _When I met Hiccup. _

"Is everything okay?" Astrid glanced over to see that Hiccup was looking at her with sleep-laden eyes filled with concern.

"I think it will be," She said, turning over to face him and ran her fingers through his hair. "I've forgotten what it felt like to have you here."

Hiccup reached out in turn to pull her closer and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Never more, Love."

She grinned against his lips. "Now, what can we do about this outfit of yours?"

Hiccup smiled back, "What, do you like it? I made it myself."

Astrid shook her hair from her face. "You know how I feel about you and outfits."

"That they look bad?"

Astrid shook her head as she straddled him. Hiccup's eyes went wide. "Yes." She kissed him and then adjusted herself causing him to groan.

"Thor, I missed you."

Astrid grinned triumphantly, "I thought you might. Now, about this outfit…"

* * *

As dawn approached, the horizon darkened with the dark shapes of approaching ships in the distance. The night watcher spotted them and then ran quickly to bang on the Chief's door.

The village flurried to life with the hum of battle spirits and warriors of all creeds steeling themselves for the battle of their lives as they currently knew them to be.

* * *

In the Cove just off Raven's Point, Lloyd stirred, gently waking Autumn. She had fallen asleep leaning on his shoulder and he'd fallen asleep sitting there. For the first time in a while he'd felt at peace. But now he'd have to make good on his promise to lead the forces to lay siege on the ships.

"Is it really dawn already?" Autumn asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, looking over at her with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Autumn frowned at him, "Not really, but we're Vikings."

"It's an occupational hazard," Lloyd said, puffing out his chest and doing a very good imitation of Stoic by Autumn's standards. He saw her expression and dropped his impression.

"It'll be okay," He said. She nodded silently and began to walk back through the woods. "Autumn!" She turned.

"I-you're amazing," He mentally smacked himself for saying something that was probably more embarrassing than what he originally meant to say. Autumn's cheeks were flushing a little and she turned away before giving her response.

"You too, Lloyd," She then trudged up the path with Lloyd not too far behind. Once they both reached the front of the Haddock lodge Scarfin and the other leaders were already gathered.

"There you are, Lad," Scarfin said as he spotted Lloyd. "You ready to send them overboard?"

He nodded, "Let me get my sword and helmet and I'll be back outside. He went into his lodge and then returned with his helmet, sword and a chest plate his father insisted he have.

Autumn gave him a quick look before joining her defense force. Lloyd made his way to the docks with Scarfin, many of the Pirates and other seasoned Vikings including the Chief himself.

Astrid looked over at Hiccup. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I'll manage," Hiccup said. "We're Vikings after all."

Astrid rolled her eyes, "So I've heard." They didn't have time for any more talking as the ships of the bandits loomed closer. Lloyd hefted his shield up and swallowed. He could see the dark outlines of the bandits on board.

"Ready!" Hiccup called out. Everyone brandished their weapons. The bandits threw down planks and then began disembarking slowly at first and then began to charge, yelling wildly.

"Odin protect us," Hiccup whispered and then charged forward, his frontline forces at his heels. The first bandits to set foot on Berk's soil were cut down in an instant. But as more planks set down the frontline defense force soon found themselves outnumbered.

Lloyd brought his shield up as a bandit cut hard with his blade, the shield clanged loudly and Lloyd responded by slashing out at the bandit's now extended arm. The blow startled the bandit for a moment before the attack was renewed, cutting hard and faster. If not for the shield, Lloyd was sure he'd have been cut multiple times by now.

The bandit growled in frustration and then drew a battle axe from the sheath on his back. He yelled and struck hard, causing Lloyd's body to vibrate with the intensity of the blow and his fingers slipped from its tight grip on his shield.

The bandit wasted no time in knocking the shield from Lloyd's hands and then swinging the axe at his head. Lloyd brought his sword up to take the force of the blow but it still caused him to shake a little from the ferocity.

He wasn't sure where the viciousness or the ferocious determination to destroy came from in these bandits but Lloyd was certain he didn't have the same brutal intent as they did.

He steeled himself and then pressed forward again, clashing with the axe and then turning around, slipping under the bandit's guard again and stabbed hard. The bandit let out a choked gasp and then collapsed. Lloyd couldn't believe he'd won that fight. But he quickly composed himself and went to pick up his shield before finding a new bandit to fight.

Autumn shifted uncomfortably. She was worried about bandits breaking through the frontlines because of how many people it would endanger by being that close to the village and because of what it would mean for those fighting on the frontlines.

She frowned deeply as she looked over at the fight happening near the docks. Lloyd was in there someplace and it made her extremely uncomfortable. Which was odd, considering how eager she'd been in the past to jump into battles and fight them. But something about what Lloyd had said the night before about suddenly realizing how much he cared about her resonated with Autumn.

She looked up abruptly, breaking her reverie as s small group of bandits were rushing towards her. She would have to think about Lloyd later. She had to hold the second line.

The bandits smashed into the line but were pushed back by the armed warriors, pirates and Vikings alike. The bandits charged again, this time all of them drawing their heavier weapons. Autumn, like her mother, favored the axe. She swung it and cut into the approaching bandit's chest. He looked at her in shock and then dropped to the ground as she wrenched her axe free.

More bandits seemed to be coming through, but these paused and dropped to kneeling positions. "What are they-?" Autumn began and then she froze as it hit her, "Get down!"

Some of their forces heard her but others were struck by the wave of arrows that sailed through the air and they fell, yelling in pain. Autumn caught most of the arrows on her shield and glanced around it to see if there were any more arrows.

A new wave flowed in and she held up her shield to catch it. But the screams that followed were not the same as those before. She looked up to find that the ground was on fire. Flames were licking at the buildings where the arrows had struck and several of the warriors were on the ground, wrestling to put out the flames on their clothing or were dead on the ground from the fire arrows.

She deeply hoped the frontlines were faring better than the second.

Hiccup realized a split second too late to warn his forces as the hidden archers fired their arrows from the ships. They rained down on the defenders and many of them went down, looking like human pin cushions.

Lloyd got his shield up a second too late to protect himself completely as one arrow was caught by his shield and the another buried itself in his shoulder. He winced but kept slashing and cutting his way through towards the enemy ships. He brought his shield up the second time and caught the arrows raining down but was wide open to the slashing attacks of the bandits charging towards him. He grimaced as one caught him in the side before he could lower his shield again and begin to counter attack. The other warriors were far more experienced in this type of warfare and Lloyd felt so vastly overwhelmed.

He ducked as an axe attempted to cleave a hole in his head. Then he stabbed the attacker and the bandit dropped like a fly as soon as the blade left his body. Lloyd pressed forward once more.

"Get down!" He raised his shield as more arrows came down and he glanced over in alarm as he saw they were fire arrows. The flames spread quickly across the docks and he realized in terror that he had to jump from his current dock to the ramp. He looked at the bandits on the ramp and then back at the flames as they closed in on his heels.

He swallowed. It was now or never. He heaved himself off the dock and landed with a thud on the ramp. The bandits took a second to register that he was there before they charged at him. He knocked two off the ramp before one managed to cut him and another attacked him from another side. More arrows rained down and one sunk into his exposed arm as it reached out to shield him from frontal attacks.

He knocked another bandit off the ramp and then locked blades with another. The bandit disengaged and stabbed but Lloyd caught the blade on his shield. He grinned. The bandit grinned back. Lloyd felt his smile falter at that.

"Get down!" He lifted his shield, only to realize his mistake a second later as two attacks came down on him at the same time. The bandit he'd been fight stabbed him in front and another walloped him with the blunt side of his axe, sending him off the ramp and into the water.

**TBC...**


	18. The Hardest Part

**Chapter 17**

**The Hardest Part**

_A/N- Back! This is probably going to be the last post for this story for this week (at least until I post updates for the other fics I need to catch up on or until get hit with inspiration for the next chapter… which might happen). _

_Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this update and I'll see you at the next one!_

_-Don ^_^_

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS HEAVY VIOLENCE. **

* * *

Autumn heard the roars of the dragons. She grinned. They were the secret weapons in this fight.

The dragons all flew past the bandit ships one by one, spraying them with flames and picking up random bandits and dropping them unceremoniously into the water.

It was a good strategy that distracted the bandits as Hiccup's forces charged up the ramps to the enemy ships and began to take the fight straight to the bandits.

She could hear the screams and war cries mingling with the clanging of metal on metal. Only when she saw the bandits attempting to break through the second line to get to the weaving ramp up to the main village and she wasn't about to let that happen.

She placed herself squarely in front of the entrance to the village from the walkway and stared down the bandits charging at her. They were frightening but she was a Viking and a Haddock at that. She let out a yell and charged at them, swinging her axe and slamming her shield almost as offensively as she was using it to deflect blows.

The bandits trying to get past her all jabbed hard and she ducked and weaved as arrows rained down on the defenders. Many of the bandits drew small daggers and began to stab in the smaller openings and she winced as one struck her arm just above the elbow. She tucked it in and renewed her attack.

Two Vikings went down next to hear and the bandits rushed towards the open space leading to the village. She shoved the bandits she was facing and while backing away, shield up, she then stabbed quickly at her opponents, stunning them long enough to break free and go after the running bandits.

She reached into her belt and pulled out two daggers. She hurled one, striking a bandit in the back and he fell. She threw the second but it narrowly missed the other bandit. She cursed and then had to return her attention to the bandits now surrounding her.

They all raised their weapons and she slashed, parried, and blocked with all her might, but the attacks kept coming and so did the bandits. She bit her lip in pain as a hammer slammed down on her shield, rattling it all the way down to her flesh and bone. The hammer came down and she could have sworn she heard the cracking of the shield under the weight.

She couldn't hold them for much longer. A loud screech turned the attention of the bandits and soon they were all scrambling for cover as Toothless swooped down, setting the bandits ablaze with his fire. The Night Fury then whacked them aside with his tail and hissed.

"Toothless!" Autumn said in relief. The bandits weren't getting up. "We need to catch the other bandit." She climbed aboard the Night Fury. "Go, Toothless!"

The dragon took off and sped after the running bandit. He only got so far before he heard the screech of the dragon and then was engulfed in flames. He screamed and rolled on the ground before falling still. Autumn turned her head away.

"Come on, Toothless, we should get back to the second line," She said quietly. The Night Fury growled his assent and flew back down to the docks.

* * *

Hiccup was finding it difficult to fight without doing fatal damage to his opponents and it was really starting to disturb him. Scarfin was by his side along with several of the other pirates from Hiccup's raiding crew and they were all being pushed hard against the sides of the ship by the bandits. Hiccup shoved yet another bandit overboard and wiped the sweat from his face.

He parried a blow from another bandit and gritted his teeth as the bandit tried to break the lock and cut into Hiccup, in what the russet haired Chief knew would be an unsympathetically brutal death.

The bandit growled and began hacking hard at Hiccup's defenses. He then drew a second blade from his back sheath and began slicing in alternating arcs at an alarming speed. All the bandits had different skills in fighting and that made it difficult to figure out a distinct strategy to follow when fighting any of them.

This particular bandit took full advantage of Hiccup's awkward movements due to his metal prosthetic. He cut downwards at Hiccup's good leg and then stabbed at Hiccup's chest simultaneously and Hiccup brought his shield as close as he could to center to catch both blows. The blade sliced into his leg and Hiccup bit back a cry before taking his shield and slamming it into the bandit's face, knocking him to the deck. The blow caused the blade to be wrenched abruptly from his thigh. He breathed heavily as he gripped his bleeding wound.

"Hiccup!" He looked up as Astrid ran over. She quickly looked over the wound and then assessed his expression for signs of pain. "Can you still fight?"

He met her eyes and nodded. "I have to. I'm the Chief." Astrid frowned; unable to tell how much pain he was actually in but let it slide for the moment.

"We should bind it," She reached into her belt and pulled bandages out of a leather pouch. "I came prepared."

Hiccup smiled approvingly, "Good thinking." He waited patiently as she bound his leg. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard a low roar from the sky.

"Get down!" The deck lit ablaze with flames and then the sky filled with arrows as the bandits tried to bring down the dragon that had just swooped down to set the ships aflame.

Astrid brought her shield up to cover both of them. Their eyes met and she quickly kissed him before charging after an unsuspecting bandit. Hiccup smiled and then half limped, half walked to confront another bandit himself.

He set about, thwacking, smacking, and otherwise knocking the bandits senseless. It was a risky strategy, as he knew they could possibly get back up and strike him when he wasn't looking but it went against every fiber of his being to kill anyone.

A bandit jabbed at him, catching Hiccup's arm and he brought his shield crashing down on the unsuspecting bandit's skull. He went down and from the stillness with which he lay the bandit wasn't likely to get back up again.

Hiccup swallowed and then gritted his teeth as anger coursed through his veins. He had killed another living being. With a heavy heart he began to cut, parry, and stab, but it was very half-hearted. None of his blows hit hard enough to deter his opponents for long.

Soon enough with the wide slashes and the way his shield almost sagged in his defenses, the bandits began to get bolder in fighting the Viking Chieftain. Three drew swords and circled around Hiccup and another four aimed their spears at him and began to close in.

* * *

Autumn continued to do sweeps over the second line of defense, Toothless spraying the bandits with fire and her sword flying with the combined ferocity and speed of the dragon and her own strength. Left, right, and then her blade cut down on the bandits trying to slash at Toothless when he glided close to the ground.

She stabbed another bandit and grabbed his spear, shaking his limp form loose and then hefted the weapon onto her shoulder. A grin spread across her lips, "Okay, Toothless, fly as fast as you can and get as close to the ground as you can."

The Night Fury growled his assent and then increased speed and flew straight at the bandits. He let loose a stream of fire, causing the bandits to jump away and stumble in terror. The spear as ran almost effortlessly through their flesh then stabbed those bandits that were fortunate enough to evade being burned by the flames. Each time Autumn would draw it back out and then charge them down again.

She grinned in triumph as the number of bandits close to the second line dwindled and they seemed to be retreating. She let out a whoop of joy and Toothless purred.

_Zzzip. Twang. _Autumn let out a gasp and doubled over as an arrow buried itself in her chest. Toothless screeched as a javelin knocked him off balance, causing the dragon to tumble to the ground and sending Autumn sprawling. He let out a whimpering moan and growled in her direction. Autumn lifted her head and looked over her shoulder.

A fresh dozen bandits were approaching from the docks. Their heavy breathing and jeers of victory of the downed rider and dragon filled her with dread. "Toothless…" She gasped. Another arrow whizzed its way into her leg before she could attempt to get up. The dragon growled and crawled his way over to her, standing over her protectively despite his own injuries.

"Fly, Toothless!" She croaked. The bandits were almost on them. "Please!" He refused to budge even when she tried pushing his muzzle into flight.

It was too late then as the bandits were already feet from them. Autumn couldn't run far with her leg injured nor was she willing to leave Toothless. The dragon hissed at the bandits and with a roar belched flames into their faces. The first few bandits cried out before dropping and rolling to try to put out the flames.

But the others were completely unperturbed by the attack as they raised their weapons to strike the dragon.

"Toothless!"

* * *

Lloyd felt as if he was drowning. His lungs were crushing him and he was flailing around in darkness, bubbles floating around him in spirals of helplessness.

Is this what Autumn felt when she fell into the water? It terrified him. More than anything he wanted to see Berk again. He felt his legs giving out from trying to tread his way to the surface.

Another flurry of bubbles escaped his mouth in a cough as his head screamed at him. He was nearly out of oxygen.

He paused then as he heard a roar coming from the surface. It rumbled through the water as if he were right next to it. What was causing a dragon to cry in pain like that?

He pushed hard; shoving out with his legs and grimacing through the pain his head was causing him. The surface glowed from something, flames?

He pumped his arms and legs up and down harder, reaching out with his hands to grasp at the oxygen waiting for him just above his fingertips.

Two things happened then: He burst through the surface with a gasp, coughing and then puking onto the water. He felt so sick. His head throbbed uncontrollably and then he felt his heart sink as a cry rang out through the battlefield, "Fly Toothless!"

Autumn. He gritted his teeth and heaved himself back onto the dock, dripping wet he glared straight at the two bandits standing there, backs to Lloyd. The Viking's eyes closed on them, his fists clenched. All the fear slipped from him as he strode forward.

The clumping of footfalls on the deck turned the two bandits heads slightly to see Lloyd a split second before he grabbed one neck in each hand and twisted them.

Their bodies flopped to the deck like dead fish. Lloyd picked up the double hilted sword and axe they had dropped, continuing

forward on his steady path off the dock.

"Toothless!" The scream jerked his head up and everything went blank.

* * *

Autumn could only watch in horror as the sword came down onto Toothless' outstretched leg. He had attempted to scratch his opponent off and had slapped a few bandits off balance with his tail as it whipped forward and back.

One of the bandits sidestepped the dragon and stabbed him in the side. Autumn let out a roar of agony and struggled to lift her own axe but it wouldn't budge, her own body was failing her.

Toothless let out a final growl and breathed fire wildly while Autumn averted her eyes in fear and shame. The worst betrayal was that she had to sit by and listen to Toothless die.

There was quiet though for a moment before an outraged cry ripped through the air. She looked up to see Lloyd charging up to the bandits at a breakneck speed she'd never seen in him. His eyes were completely blank with white- hot rage.

His two blades was among the bandits then, slicing and hacking faster than her eyes could follow. He was consumed by his wrath. Autumn had only heard stories from her mother about how Fishlegs had become a wrath filled berserker. It happened when Ruffnut was hurt during a raid one Spring day and he'd lost all sense of time, who he was, and who he was attacking.

Lloyd swung his axe, cleaving into the back of a bandit attempting to run from the onslaught. His eyes turned then to the bandit nearest to Autumn, who could only stand frozen in place as Lloyd roared and ran his blade clean through the bandit and then wrenched it out.

Lloyd's shirt was soaked in blood now and he turned his eyes to the ships where there was yelling. It didn't hold his attention for long before he spotted the endless bandits unloading from two new ships. They splashed into the shallows of the water and then sprinted across the dock.

Many of them were archers and they loosed arrows on the second line. Part of the force was caught by the pirates and Vikings off to the side but the rest slipped past to find themselves face to face with Lloyd.

The archers dropped to a kneeling position and notched their arrows, aimed at Lloyd and fired. The arrows bounded off the blades for the most part, but those that found their target were ignored as Lloyd walked forward.

"Kill him!" A bandit yelled. More bandits rallied to surround Lloyd as he continued to toss them about with his blades like he was cutting through foliage. Two bandits disappeared behind the group, their backs to Autumn.

Her eyes widened, "Lloyd!"

_Shunk. _The bandits grinned as the spear sunk deep into Lloyd's back, causing him to stagger. Their grins faded as he turned, the bloodlust still filling his eyes. He stabbed one with his sword and then brought his axe down on the skull of the other.

Two arrows thudded into his legs but once again he simply turned to find the culprit before cutting them down.

"Take him down!" More arrows sailed through the air and sunk into his legs. He went down on one knee but picked up a spear from the ground and hurled it, impaling the nearest bandit.

Then his arm was slashed. He let go of his sword and swung wildly with his axe, cutting down those foolish enough to get within his range. Other bandits closed in from behind, stabbing his other arm. He roared and punched out with his bare fists, breaking noses and slamming his head into his opponents before they finally forced him to the ground.

"Tie him up!" The fallen Viking was then bound by his arms and legs and carried by the majority of the bandits.

"What about the girl?" A bandit asked. Their apparent leader looked at her.

"Bring her along. We need as many hostages as possible," The remaining bandits surrounded Autumn, tying her hands behind her back and half carried, half dragged her back to their ship.

Toothless let out a mournful wail that caused Autumn to finally let herself cry.

* * *

Astrid charged into the circle of bandits surrounding Hiccup aided and abetted by Scarfin. The two set about slashing and stabbing until not a one bandit remained standing.

When she was finally able to catch her breath, she scowled at Hiccup. "What in Hel were you doing?"

Hiccup remained tight lipped for a moment before he muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't want to talk about it?" She stepped in front of him. "You weren't injured back there, so I know something happened."

Hiccup gritted his teeth. "I killed someone!"

Astrid looked at him strangely but replied flatly, "This is a battle, Hiccup. You're supposed to kill people."

Hiccup glared back at her. "You wouldn't understand." He then walked off, calling out orders to retreat as he saw the bandits were doing the same for the evening.

Astrid watched him go, unable to do or say anything because she really didn't know what he was talking about. She honestly didn't understand what bothered him so much about killing someone.

It was the hardest part of loving Hiccup. She still didn't understand fully his need to be a peacemaker.

She followed their forces and stopped to help support the arm of a wounded Viking. The number of wounded and injured was high but they were far from defeated.

She laid down the wounded Viking and began to take stock of their losses, while still glancing around for Hiccup. Despite being Chief, he seemed scarce at the moment.

"Where's Autumn?" She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"I don't know," She looked around. Wounded Vikings and pirates surrounded them on all sides and yet they still hadn't taken account for all their losses during the fight.

She looked up as two bandits ran towards them from the only remaining ship near the docks. All hands went to their weapons and drew them in anticipation.

"Stay your weapons," The first of the bandits said. "We are only here to bring a message."

"Then state your message and be gone with ye," Stoic stated and drew himself up to an intimidating height as he came up beside Hiccup.

"Very well," The second bandit said, "Our leader wishes to strike a bargain with you."

Stoic boomed with laughter, "There will be no bargaining. We fight to the death or nary at all."

The bandits exchanged smiles, "Then you will not be wanting the safe return of your two Viking warriors?"

Hiccup's face blanched and Astrid's flushed with anger, "What have you done with our daughter!" She snarled and the two bandits took a few steps back.

"Nothing after we captured her, but it would probably be best if you came to an agreement sooner rather than later with her injuries," The first bandit said. "Especially with her companion's."

"Lloyd…" Hiccup breathed. He frowned at the bandits. "What does your leader want?"

The bandits smiled smugly. "Only what is fair. An exchange. You killed our leader…"

The other bandit finished, "We kill yours."

**TBC….**


End file.
